TheSamba.com :: View topic - Vintage California licence plates question

Sun Jun 25, 2006 1:59 pm

I'm looking for vintage plates for my 67 bug

Yellow letters with black background.

I noticed while looking on ebay that all the yellow and black licence plates
have a 63 imprinted where the year goes.

My question is...do all the Yellow and black plates have a 63 imprinted or is there a specific imprint for each year?

Sun Jun 25, 2006 5:08 pm

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/plates/licenseplthistory.htm

Quote: 1963 was the last year a complete new plate issuance to all vehicles occured (the plates had a black background and chrome yellow characters).

Sun Jun 25, 2006 6:50 pm

1962 was year you can use "year of manufature" plates. if your 67 does not have original black with yellow numbers and letters - you are out of luck. the black plates can not be put on a car unless they are original to the car. my savannah beige 67 has the 63 stamped black plates that were installed in august 1966.

Sun Jun 25, 2006 7:18 pm

if you have a 67, the original calif plates should start wtih T or U ex, TRU 345 USN 678. The yellow letters/numbers on black plates issued from 1963 - 1969. I have a 1963 and the plate starts with a "A".

Sun Jun 25, 2006 7:24 pm

yes TRU 918 is my plate number.

Sun Jun 25, 2006 7:34 pm

my question was actually about the 63 that is imprinted under the year registration sticker is.

but I didn't know 67 was assined certain letters to start with thanx for the info =]

Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:32 pm

CA black plates were stamped 63 for the first year they were issued which was 1963. Same thing with the previous CA yellow plates with black letters/numbers. They were first issued in 1956 and were used until 1962. They were all stamped 56. The CA DMV will only allow you to register plates that were issued before 1962 and have a model year sticker that corresponds the year of the vehicle. Of course you can always try to paint them. It's not illegal until you get caught :twisted:

Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:35 pm

why do my 67's plates have 63 stamped on them mr.box on wheels? they were put on in august /sept 66 and are original to the car.

Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:06 am

bill may wrote: why do my 67's plates have 63 stamped on them mr.box on wheels? they were put on in august /sept 66 and are original to the car.

As the years progressed, the DMV would issue new registration stickers for those plates. 1964-69 all had different stickers issued and were to be placed on top of the "63" stamping.
As Box-On-Wheels was explaining, the plates used between 1956-62 plates all had a "56" stamped into the plate in the upper Right corner. Since 1957-62 automobiles used those same plates, the DMV would issue stickers for those later years instead of stamping 57, 58, 59 etc... into them.
Perfect example Bill. The "56" plates you have for your '60 ragtop can't be used on your car until you place a "1960" sticker on it right?

Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:08 am

bill may wrote: why do my 67's plates have 63 stamped on them mr.box on wheels? they were put on in august /sept 66 and are original to the car.

The dies or presses were all dated 63. It was probably a cost thing. It would take too much prison labor to change them every year. The first letter on the license plate usually denotes what year they were issued. The letter A started in 1963. I have two 1964's. One of them starts with a P and the other one starts with a N. Both of them were picked in Europe and then shipped to the states at the end of 1964 or early 1965. They ended up with 1965 year license plates. My 66 starts with a T and so does my 67. Someone out there should know what year range each letter block was used for. Who cares about the 63. The good thing is that you have one of few original black plates. Just think of all the black plate cars that have been sold and shipped over seas :cry:

Tue Jun 27, 2006 3:40 pm

The plates that came with my 66 also have the 63 marked on them.

Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:54 pm

Box on Wheels wrote: bill may wrote: why do my 67's plates have 63 stamped on them mr.box on wheels? they were put on in august /sept 66 and are original to the car.

The dies or presses were all dated 63. It was probably a cost thing. It would take too much prison labor to change them every year. The first letter on the license plate usually denotes what year they were issued. The letter A started in 1963. I have two 1964's. One of them starts with a P and the other one starts with a N. Both of them were picked in Europe and then shipped to the states at the end of 1964 or early 1965. They ended up with 1965 year license plates. My 66 starts with a T and so does my 67. Someone out there should know what year range each letter block was used for. Who cares about the 63. The good thing is that you have one of few original black plates. Just think of all the black plate cars that have been sold and shipped over seas :cry:

Henry.....did you check out my plates on my 1958 Cushman? They are small yellow plates and worth big buck$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Tue Jun 27, 2006 9:48 pm

I lived in Huntington Beach in 1963 (population 8,000) and I remember the NEW license plates that were issued to cars around town when the new '63 plates came out had the letter sequence PLM 000 or PLN 000, so I think that different regions of the state got different letter sequences...........just an observence, don't know if it is true...

Tue Jun 27, 2006 11:58 pm

Henry.....did you check out my plates on my 1958 Cushman? They are small yellow plates and worth big buck$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$[/quote]

Never seen your 1958 Cushman. I'm Daniel. The older brother. Small yellow motorcycle plates are somewhat rare.

Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:56 am

Box on Wheels wrote: Henry.....did you check out my plates on my 1958 Cushman? They are small yellow plates and worth big buck$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Never seen your 1958 Cushman. I'm Daniel. The older brother. Small yellow motorcycle plates are somewhat rare.[/quote]

Sorry that your the other Box On Wheels.

I brought my 58 truckster to The BlackStar camp out.

Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:32 am

Box on Wheels wrote: CA black plates were stamped 63 for the first year they were issued which was 1963. Same thing with the previous CA yellow plates with black letters/numbers. They were first issued in 1956 and were used until 1962. They were all stamped 56. The CA DMV will only allow you to register plates that were issued before 1962 and have a model year sticker that corresponds the year of the vehicle. Of course you can always try to paint them. It's not illegal until you get caught :twisted:
So basically we are no longer allowed to register black plates to a vehicle anymore in CA..............so say if we have a set of new plates and i wanted to swap to black and yellows...DMV will not let that happen?

Wed Jun 28, 2006 9:20 am

Yes they will. The plates have to be out of circulation and not been reported stolen. Sort of like a set of vanity plates i had made 15 years ago that said 69VWGIA. I sold the car in Hawaii and kept the plates. If and when i buy another 69 ghia, i can have them issued to the new car. I doubt they can issue black plates to new cars, but period correct cars are an exception to the rules. When i lived in Oklahoma, i would ebay or antique shop purchase old plates and have them assigned to my old vw's. Worsth case senerio, you will have to maintain new plates and get the black ones issued as novelty (vanity) plates and pay double dues every year.

Wed Jun 28, 2006 10:18 am

rusty57 wrote: Yes they will. The plates have to be out of circulation and not been reported stolen. Sort of like a set of vanity plates i had made 15 years ago that said 69VWGIA. I sold the car in Hawaii and kept the plates. If and when i buy another 69 ghia, i can have them issued to the new car. I doubt they can issue black plates to new cars, but period correct cars are an exception to the rules. When i lived in Oklahoma, i would ebay or antique shop purchase old plates and have them assigned to my old vw's. Worsth case senerio, you will have to maintain new plates and get the black ones issued as novelty (vanity) plates and pay double dues every year.
Sweet....................that info helps...thanks 8)

Wed Jun 28, 2006 2:42 pm

Matt K. wrote: rusty57 wrote: Yes they will. The plates have to be out of circulation and not been reported stolen. Sort of like a set of vanity plates i had made 15 years ago that said 69VWGIA. I sold the car in Hawaii and kept the plates. If and when i buy another 69 ghia, i can have them issued to the new car. I doubt they can issue black plates to new cars, but period correct cars are an exception to the rules. When i lived in Oklahoma, i would ebay or antique shop purchase old plates and have them assigned to my old vw's. Worsth case senerio, you will have to maintain new plates and get the black ones issued as novelty (vanity) plates and pay double dues every year.
Sweet....................that info helps...thanks 8)

That's incorrect for California registered cars. You can only register vintage plates on automobiles circa Pre '62 through the YOM program. 1963-newer vehicles are exempt from using Black plates with Yellow letters/numbers.

Wed Jun 28, 2006 5:19 pm

rusty57 wrote: Yes they will. The plates have to be out of circulation and not been reported stolen. Sort of like a set of vanity plates i had made 15 years ago that said 69VWGIA. I sold the car in Hawaii and kept the plates. If and when i buy another 69 ghia, i can have them issued to the new car. I doubt they can issue black plates to new cars, but period correct cars are an exception to the rules. When i lived in Oklahoma, i would ebay or antique shop purchase old plates and have them assigned to my old vw's. Worsth case senerio, you will have to maintain new plates and get the black ones issued as novelty (vanity) plates and pay double dues every year.

California never issued vanity plates in the black and yellow digits, the blue and yellow plates were the first ones that could be "personalized".
But the blue and yellow plates can be switched form car to car since you own them with the yearly fee you pay for them.