Vintage California License Plates FOR SALE
Click here to see plates for sale
What is your restoration process?
Click here to see our restoration staff in action
Will the DMV hassle me?
I guarantee the plate numbers to be DMV clear for 60 days after purchase,
in other words: the numbers are not in use in the DMV computer.
Since each DMV office seems to interpret the rules differently, I can not guarantee they will not give you a hard time.
Giving taxpayers a hard time is their reason for living.
Most offices do not have a problem with plates restored back to their original colors.
Some people have had to go to a different DMV office to get them accepted.
Be prepared to watch them fumble through their own rules and call over several co-workers figure out what to do and understand why you want these funny looking plates anyway.
You might want to slam your hand in a car door before entering the DMV the next time so dealing with them won't seem so bad...
Can't I just get new vanity plates with the same numbers as my old plates?
Probably not.
The DMV is wise to this trick so they won't let you use old standard configurations like the 3 letter / 3 number combo used for most 1956 - 1968 plates.
In a never ending quest to spoil our fun, they locked out that option.
Do I need the year stickers (56 - 62) or metal year tabs (48-55)?
You will need a sticker to match the year of your car. Use a 1959 sticker on a 1956 plate for example.
Do not try to use sample stickers (they have serial numbers of all zeros).
For 1947 - 1955, they used metal tabs. Tabs were used on front and back from 1948 - 1953,
then only on the back in 1954 & 1955.
They may not ask for both tabs. Don't count on it.
Do they allow newer than 1962 in the YOM program?
Year of Manufacture Plates — Operative July 1, 2009
Amend: Vehicle Code §5004.1 (AB 462 Chapter No. 497)
Extends the Year of Manufacture (YOM) license plate program to include 1969 year model or older passenger vehicles and 1972 or older commercial vehicles.
Increases the original YOM application fee (Fee Code 017) to $45.
see: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/about/leg/leginfo_vr.htm
Do I need both plates?
You will need a matching set of plates no matter how old your car is.
1945 was the only year the DMV issued only 1 plate which continued to 1946 with a yellow tab for the 1945 plate.
Where do I put the month and current year sticker?
The DMV is supposed to send you 2 aluminum tabs for the stickers so you don't spoil the look by putting new stickers on your vintage plates. These tabs are designed to bolt above or below your plates depending on what fits better. I am told they don't always send these so it wouldn't hurt to ask for them.
Can you make plates?
No. That is illegal. If I made plates, they would put me in prison where I could make plates...
Do I need commercial plates for my vintage truck or pickup?
I am told the DMV will allow passenger car plates prior to 1945, but may still list the truck as commercial (so they can charge more $).
They are consistently inconsistent in their interpretation on COM plates. Take more valium.
Vintage commercial plates are very hard to find.
Do you have plates for 1951 - 1955?
Most (not all) 1951 plates were 7 characters arranged as 6 numbers with a letter in the second position (ex: 1A23456).
The DMV started reusing this configuration on commercial plates in the last 30 years, so they have used up most of the numbers again.
This scarcity of DMV clear 1951 plates added to a high demand for years 1951 - 1955 makes them VERY EXPENSIVE, so I rarely have them.
1947 base plates (used 1947 - 1950) are also in high demand but didn't tend to use numbers that were re-issued.
License Plates used for more than 1 year 1945 - 1969
New plates were made in 1945, 1947, 1951, 1956 and 1963
Metal tabs or stickers were used for the years in between the new base plates
1946 California License Plates used a 1945 base plate with a metal 46 tab
1947 California License Plates were a new base plate
1948 California License Plates used 1947 base plates with metal 48 tabs
1949 California License Plates used 1947 base plates with metal 49 tabs
1950 California License Plates used 1947 base plates with metal 50 tabs
1951 California License Plates were a new base plate
1952 California License Plates used 1951 base plates with metal 52 tabs
1953 California License Plates used 1951 base plates with metal 53 tabs
1954 California License Plates used 1951 base plates with a metal 54 tab
1955 California License Plates used 1951 base plates with a metal 55 tab
1956 California License Plates were a new base plate
1957 California License Plates used 1956 base plates with 1957 sticker
1958 California License Plates used 1956 base plates with 1958 sticker
1959 California License Plates used 1956 base plates with 1958 sticker
1960 California License Plates used 1956 base plates with 1960 sticker
1961 California License Plates used 1956 base plates with 1961 sticker
1962 California License Plates used 1956 base plates with 1962 sticker
1963 California License Plates were a new base plate
1964 California License Plates used 1963 base plates with 1964 sticker
1965 California License Plates used 1963 base plates with 1965 sticker
1966 California License Plates used 1963 base plates with 1966 sticker
1967 California License Plates used 1963 base plates with 1967 sticker
1968 California License Plates used 1963 base plates with 1968 sticker
Click here to see the base plates for sale. I have the year tabs and stickers to go with them
Genuine DMV rules from their own website
They won't know their own rules, but now you do!
from the DMV website at: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d03/vc5004_1.htm
Print this section and take it in with you
Model Year Date License Plates
5004.1. (a) (1) ( )1 An owner of a vehicle that is a 1969 or older model-year vehicle or the owner of a commercial vehicle or a pickup truck that is a 1972 or older model-year may, after the requirements for the registration of the vehicle are complied with and with the approval of the department, utilize license plates of this state with the date of year corresponding to the model-year date when the vehicle was manufactured, if the model-year date license plate is legible and serviceable, as determined by the department, in lieu of the license plates otherwise required by this code.(2) The department may consult with an organization of old car hobbyists in determining whether the date of year of the license plate corresponds to the model-year date when the vehicle was manufactured.
(b) A fee of forty-five dollars ($45) shall be charged for the application for the use of the special plates.
(c) In addition to the regular renewal fee for the vehicle for which the plates are authorized, the applicant for a renewal of the plates shall be charged an additional fee of ten dollars ($10). ( )2 If payment of a regular vehicle renewal fee is not required by this code, the holder of license plates with a date corresponding to the model-year may retain the plates upon payment of an annual fee of twenty dollars($20)( )3 that shall be due at the expiration of the registration year of the vehicle to which the plates were last assigned under this section.
(d) ( )4 If a person who is authorized to utilize the special license plates applies to the department for transfer of the plates to another vehicle, a transfer fee of twelve dollars ($12) shall be charged in addition to all other appropriate fees.
Amended Sec. 1, Ch. 497, Stats. 2007. Effective January 1, 2008. Operative July 1, 2009.
Amended Sec. 216, Ch. 179, Stats. 2008. Effective January 1, 2009.
CLICK HERE for a list of plate / tag / sitcker colors for every year
CLICK HERE for photo examples of 1947 and 1951 plates to show the DMV clerk
Vintage California License Plates FOR SALE
Click here to see plates for sale What is your restoration process? Click here to see our restoration staff in action Will the DMV hassle me? I guarantee the plate numbers to be DMV clear for 60 days after purchase,
Can't I just get new vanity plates with the same numbers as my old plates? Probably not.
Do I need the year stickers (56 - 62) or metal year tabs (48-55)? You will need a sticker to match the year of your car. Use a 1959 sticker on a 1956 plate for example.
Do they allow newer than 1962 in the YOM program?
Year of Manufacture Plates — Operative July 1, 2009
Amend: Vehicle Code §5004.1 (AB 462 Chapter No. 497)
Extends the Year of Manufacture (YOM) license plate program to include 1969 year model or older passenger vehicles and 1972 or older commercial vehicles.
Increases the original YOM application fee (Fee Code 017) to $45.
see: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/about/leg/leginfo_vr.htm
Do I need both plates? You will need a matching set of plates no matter how old your car is.
Where do I put the month and current year sticker? The DMV is supposed to send you 2 aluminum tabs for the stickers so you don't spoil the look by putting new stickers on your vintage plates. These tabs are designed to bolt above or below your plates depending on what fits better. I am told they don't always send these so it wouldn't hurt to ask for them.
Can you make plates? No. That is illegal. If I made plates, they would put me in prison where I could make plates...
Do I need commercial plates for my vintage truck or pickup? I am told the DMV will allow passenger car plates prior to 1945, but may still list the truck as commercial (so they can charge more $).
Do you have plates for 1951 - 1955? Most (not all) 1951 plates were 7 characters arranged as 6 numbers with a letter in the second position (ex: 1A23456).
License Plates used for more than 1 year 1945 - 1969 New plates were made in 1945, 1947, 1951, 1956 and 1963
Click here to see the base plates for sale. I have the year tabs and stickers to go with them Genuine DMV rules from their own website
They won't know their own rules, but now you do! CLICK HERE for a list of plate / tag / sitcker colors for every year CLICK HERE for photo examples of 1947 and 1951 plates to show the DMV clerk
in other words: the numbers are not in use in the DMV computer.
Since each DMV office seems to interpret the rules differently, I can not guarantee they will not give you a hard time.
Giving taxpayers a hard time is their reason for living.
Most offices do not have a problem with plates restored back to their original colors.
Some people have had to go to a different DMV office to get them accepted.
Be prepared to watch them fumble through their own rules and call over several co-workers figure out what to do and understand why you want these funny looking plates anyway.
You might want to slam your hand in a car door before entering the DMV the next time so dealing with them won't seem so bad...
The DMV is wise to this trick so they won't let you use old standard configurations like the 3 letter / 3 number combo used for most 1956 - 1968 plates.
In a never ending quest to spoil our fun, they locked out that option.
Do not try to use sample stickers (they have serial numbers of all zeros).
For 1947 - 1955, they used metal tabs. Tabs were used on front and back from 1948 - 1953,
then only on the back in 1954 & 1955.
They may not ask for both tabs. Don't count on it.
1945 was the only year the DMV issued only 1 plate which continued to 1946 with a yellow tab for the 1945 plate.
They are consistently inconsistent in their interpretation on COM plates. Take more valium.
Vintage commercial plates are very hard to find.
The DMV started reusing this configuration on commercial plates in the last 30 years, so they have used up most of the numbers again.
This scarcity of DMV clear 1951 plates added to a high demand for years 1951 - 1955 makes them VERY EXPENSIVE, so I rarely have them.
1947 base plates (used 1947 - 1950) are also in high demand but didn't tend to use numbers that were re-issued.
Metal tabs or stickers were used for the years in between the new base plates
1946 California License Plates used a 1945 base plate with a metal 46 tab
1947 California License Plates were a new base plate
1948 California License Plates used 1947 base plates with metal 48 tabs
1949 California License Plates used 1947 base plates with metal 49 tabs
1950 California License Plates used 1947 base plates with metal 50 tabs
1951 California License Plates were a new base plate
1952 California License Plates used 1951 base plates with metal 52 tabs
1953 California License Plates used 1951 base plates with metal 53 tabs
1954 California License Plates used 1951 base plates with a metal 54 tab
1955 California License Plates used 1951 base plates with a metal 55 tab
1956 California License Plates were a new base plate
1957 California License Plates used 1956 base plates with 1957 sticker
1958 California License Plates used 1956 base plates with 1958 sticker
1959 California License Plates used 1956 base plates with 1958 sticker
1960 California License Plates used 1956 base plates with 1960 sticker
1961 California License Plates used 1956 base plates with 1961 sticker
1962 California License Plates used 1956 base plates with 1962 sticker
1963 California License Plates were a new base plate
1964 California License Plates used 1963 base plates with 1964 sticker
1965 California License Plates used 1963 base plates with 1965 sticker
1966 California License Plates used 1963 base plates with 1966 sticker
1967 California License Plates used 1963 base plates with 1967 sticker
1968 California License Plates used 1963 base plates with 1968 sticker
from the DMV website at: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d03/vc5004_1.htm
Print this section and take it in with you
Model Year Date License Plates
5004.1. (a) (1) ( )1 An owner of a vehicle that is a 1969 or older model-year vehicle or the owner of a commercial vehicle or a pickup truck that is a 1972 or older model-year may, after the requirements for the registration of the vehicle are complied with and with the approval of the department, utilize license plates of this state with the date of year corresponding to the model-year date when the vehicle was manufactured, if the model-year date license plate is legible and serviceable, as determined by the department, in lieu of the license plates otherwise required by this code.(2) The department may consult with an organization of old car hobbyists in determining whether the date of year of the license plate corresponds to the model-year date when the vehicle was manufactured.
(b) A fee of forty-five dollars ($45) shall be charged for the application for the use of the special plates.
(c) In addition to the regular renewal fee for the vehicle for which the plates are authorized, the applicant for a renewal of the plates shall be charged an additional fee of ten dollars ($10). ( )2 If payment of a regular vehicle renewal fee is not required by this code, the holder of license plates with a date corresponding to the model-year may retain the plates upon payment of an annual fee of twenty dollars($20)( )3 that shall be due at the expiration of the registration year of the vehicle to which the plates were last assigned under this section.
(d) ( )4 If a person who is authorized to utilize the special license plates applies to the department for transfer of the plates to another vehicle, a transfer fee of twelve dollars ($12) shall be charged in addition to all other appropriate fees.
Amended Sec. 1, Ch. 497, Stats. 2007. Effective January 1, 2008. Operative July 1, 2009.
Amended Sec. 216, Ch. 179, Stats. 2008. Effective January 1, 2009.