black plates

"The significance of a California black plate car is that it is almost certain that the car has resided in CA since the early to late 60s, thus increasing the odds that it has seen better climate than most cars of the same era.

There are only two ways a vehicle today can have CA black/yellow plates: (1) If the car was originally sold in CA and has remained registered in the state since day one, or (2) if the car was brought into CA between

1963 and 1969 and has remained in the state since.

From the mid-50s through 1962, CA license plates were black on yellow; from 1963 through 1969 they were yellow on black. Beginning in 1970, the plates were painted yellow on blue. New cars sold in CA and cars brought into the state at present receive blue on white plates.

The yellow > What's the big deal with CA Black Plate cars?

My plates have '63 in the upper right (Drivers side in front.) sticker recess.

456 ACD are the characters. Despite the plate, I have never been able to c> "The significance of a California black plate car is that it is almost

Hi, I did want to point out one other thing about having a car with California Black plates. There is a 3rd way to have a black plate car. It is not very common knowledge, but none-the-less works like a charm if you really want black plates on your car.

Under some new rules a few years back, California now allows "Year of Manufacture" plates. If for instance, you had a 53 Commander Coupe with current plates, you could go to one of the collectable plate dealers and buy a pair of black plates with the 1953 corner metal add-on piece (that's the way they did it before the stickers).

As long as the number is a good number (not currently assigned), you can have the new plate numbers assigned to your car. The plate collector/dealers can usually be found at the big Hot Rod shows like Good Guys.

My 51' 2R has the black plates with 1951 printed clearly across the bottom, and I have already purchased 1939 plates for my 39' Coupe Express. They happen to be really cool in that 1939 was the year that the Worlds Fair was in the San Francisco area, and the plates say "California Worlds Fair 39" across the top (the 39 plates are Blue with Yellow/orange lettering).

SO..... it is possible to have California black plates on a car that spent most of its life on the Jersey turnpike. Not likely, but still possible.

If anyone is looking for black plates for their California car, I can get the number of the guy I usually buy them from. Just give me a shout at allen @ ebold dot com. Allen

mbstude wrote:

Ok Guys, funs over the DMV Lady's here.

What Allen was talking about is "YOM" Plates. "year of Manufactor" Those can be done in Ca if the Car/Truck matches the year of Plate for

1962 and older Vehicles only. So my 1963 sliding roof Cant have them but my 61 Hawk can have the Yellow and Black plates. When I bought the Hawk it had the Black plates on it but only because it was replated in the mid 60's sometime but again they were not the right plates for it. So if you bought a 66 mustang and it had the blk plates know it was always a CA car. If it has the Blue plates it could have been replated(maybe lost a plate or someone wanted the new style at the time) But that car can NEVER go back to black plates again. Ca wants the reflector plates on the cars(whatever). If you have a car/truck with the black plates its pretty much a garentee its a Ca car and you dont even have to sweet talk me, even tho I like it. ;-) Rhonda aka the DMV Lady(red2ubabe) ps there's a fee for YOM Plates too $35 to assign them and a extra $10 a year on the Reg.

That only applies to the yellow plates with black letters, the black plates must have remained with the car through the black plate years.

Not really. My 51 2R has black plates from 1951. These plates and some other years can be reassigned. The message from Rhonda is accurate as I understand it. Cars that are older than 62' can have black plates reassigned. California alternated between black plates and yellow, then black then blue I believe and now a funky white with reflectorized surface. Great for visibility, but not as cool as the older plates.

What matters to me is that most cars that come from California with black plates have been here a l> > Hi,

My reference was to the '63- black plates being retrofitted to otherwise qualifying cars that had been updated to blue or white plates.

A few years back a bill was passed in the legislature to allow the black plates on '63-'69 cars but the spineless governor vetoed the bill at the request of the CHP because older plates aren't "reflectorized".

Amazing! There used to be a such a car near the old RR station in Half Moon Bay.

For decades it has come to mind whenever the subject of "Rust-free California Cars" arose. Is that the one you're thinking of?

Karl