License Plate

[Bconley759]

How do I go about getting an original front license plate?

[Cees Klumper]

There are companies that will copy original looking license plates from most countries. If you google the concept you will find several. They will look very close to the real thing and be new. Otherwise, Ebay typically has a large selection, but maybe not the one you are looking for.

[MikeSimon]

How do I go about getting an original front license plate?

What are you looking for? A front plate that matches your rear? Or an original fit German plate? Else?

[hauser]

Here is a company I have used in the past.  They will not make you a Florida license plate.

https://www.licenseplates.tv/

[ejboyd5]

Are you looking for a plate or a bracket upon which to mount it?

[kampala]

In many states it is illegal to make license plates that resemble state issued plates

If you make them and use them as real plates, you go to Jail

Once in Jail, they make you make license plates - legally 

[neelyrc]

As usual, it depends. As Florida is one of the states requiring only a rear license plate, you can put most anything on the front.

If your car was purchased new at a dealer in the USA, it may or may not have had a front license plate, depending on the state where it was first registered.  If you are looking for a replica German plate for the front there are a number of sites selling them on line.  germanplates.com is one such site that I have used.  Basically you build your own German plate design. 

My car was a tourist delivery at the factory in Sindelfingen and was delivered with oval shaped customs plates front and back.  I have my original front customs plate still mounted on my car. See picture.  I have seen this type of plate for sale on Ebay.  Google "oval shaped German customs plates".
 

[Theo113]

neelyrc, very nice summerizations of the issues! 

[mmizesko]

Love the color, Ralph....

Mike

[MikeSimon]

My car still has its original german plate in the front (and the rear!)

[neelyrc]

Love the color, Ralph....

Mike

Thank you, I wonder why, Mike!!  We can vouch for the fact that they made at least two of these dunkle oliv beauties.

[Garry]

Actually there were three at least, one in RHD and a 5 speed😎. Pity the next owner painted it dark blue 350H!

[mdsalemi]

In many states it is illegal to make license plates that resemble state issued plates

Neely: As Florida is one of the states requiring only a rear license plate, you can put most anything on the front.

Well here's a new one on me. Here in NC, provided you have a YOM (year of manufacture) or an Antique registration, apparently it doesn't matter WHAT kind of plate you have on the car.

So, many of the car folks with collectibles with those registrations have their own old plate, a foreign plate, perhaps an ersatz YOM plate (I'm keen to get a 1969 NC Pagoda plate, just costs $100 from one of the internet vendors) on the car. The state issued plate needs to be kept inside the car and provided for anyone who needs or wants to see it.

I almost didn't believe what I heard, but the same has been repeated to me by different car guys in different parts of the state, so I'll go with that.

[MikeSimon]

Similar situation in Ohio. Once you have a "Historic Vehicle" registration and plate, you can have a plate on your vehicle from the year of manufacture of the vehicle. You have to apply for that, however, and get the proper registration paper from the BMV. You also have to keep the original "Historic" plate issued with the vehicle.
This works only for years when Ohio had a plate issued for that year, i.e.: NOT for plates with a "sticker". Last year Ohio had "year plates' was 1976, I think.

[ejboyd5]

Here's one I found in London many years ago.  For obvious reasons I couldn't pass it up.

[mdsalemi]

Similar situation in Ohio. Once you have a "Historic Vehicle" registration and plate, you can have a plate on your vehicle from the year of manufacture of the vehicle. You have to apply for that, however, and get the proper registration paper from the BMV.

Yeah Mike, that's similar to what existed in Michigan, but to be very clear and specific in Michigan, you COULD have a YOM plate ONLY if it was a real plate, not a reproduction, and ONLY if it was legitimate during said year. Then, if you met the criteria, you switched your "given" plate to your "YOM" plate once they did a search to see if it met their criteria, and then your registration changed to the YOM plate. I suspect that MI and OH are not the only places like that with similar rules.

NC is different. You don't have to register or declare your YOM plate. You just have to keep the given plate in the car. Yes, that simple. We are a one plate state, so my ersatz German plate stays on the front. No matter what plate I choose to place on the back of my car, the registration doesn't change. Hey, doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but I'm not arguing. [ N.B. There's a LOT of things that don't make sense to me here, like putting water heaters in the attic, and no basements, and dirt floor crawl spaces that just attract vermin. "It's code" they tell me. ]

Personally however, once I do get my 1969 NC plate reading PAGODA, I will NOT take it out of state like that...just because it's legal here doesn't mean other states will accept it.