California Black License Plates

[mdsalemi]

Since a topic in many circles is the highly desirable CA black license plate, (for those in CA at least) I thought this of interest:

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2015/06/25/deliveries-of-retro-california-black-plates-stamped-from-original-molds-to-begin-soon/?refer=news

[Jonny B]

It was also listed in the San Diego paper this morning. According to the article they got the required 7500 pre-orders in record time.

[scoot]

Good to know that they aren't f'ing it up with things that don't look right.  Unfortunate about the reflective coating but still looks good.  I suppose I'll be ordering some for various cars....   Or I'll use REAL ones that are actually old.  I have a couple sets of those.

[mdsalemi]

Or I'll use REAL ones that are actually old.  I have a couple sets of those.

One can find, easily, a LOT of NOS original, new still in the package, Michigan license plates. They don't cost too much, and you can legally use them on a vintage car provided the number isn't already in use. I think the state offloads unused plates, people buy them and hold them, and then make a business years later reselling them.  Gee, what a concept; like a generation skipping trust! 

[scoot]

One can find, easily, a LOT of NOS original, new still in the package, Michigan license plates. They don't cost too much, and you can legally use them on a vintage car provided the number isn't already in use. I think the state offloads unused plates, people buy them and hold them, and then make a business years later reselling them.  Gee, what a concept; like a generation skipping trust! 

The relevance of a black plate car in California is a bit different -- it shows that the car was a California car prior to 1969/1970.  Yeah, it's cool because it's an old license plate but it's more cool because a 1960s car in much of California is less likely to be a rust bucket than a 1960s car in Michigan.  So people from around the world would rather buy a black-plate California car than a blue plate or white plate California car.  Actually, that's not accurate.  People would also rather buy a blue plate car of the appropriate years for the same reason.

Opponents in California to the new issue black plates are upset because now it's easy to "fake" having a California-original car. 

There are other ways to get black plates on a CA car that look real (because they are) but it's more complicated than just ordering the reflective plates from DMV.

The interesting outcome of this is that since the Blue plate required registrants didn't reach the number needed, only "true" blue plate cars (1970 - 1986?) will have blue plates.  So they can't be faked.  They also can't be faked using the other DMV methods (assigning a pair of old plates to a car -- that ends at 1969).

[49er]

Hi Scoot, I have not read if these new Black Plates will have the same number sequence as the current white plates instead of three letters, three numbers. I read that Folsom Prison still has the original dies so I am guessing the latter. Better not see a set that match my originals

John

[scoot]

Hi Scoot, I have not read if these new Black Plates will have the same number sequence as the current white plates instead of three letters, three numbers. I read that Folsom Prison still has the original dies so I am guessing the latter. Better not see a set that match my originals.

You get to pick the letters/numbers including vanity plates.  The only requirement is that the number isn't in use.  So you can make it a sequence that is "year correct" for your car.

[49er]

Ooops, just read the link in micheals original post. Answered my question there. The yellow looks a bit off but maybe that is just the photo.

John

[mdsalemi]

...it shows that the car was a California car prior to 1969/1970...

I'm always astounded in the collectible and classic car market just how many cars (regardless of license plate) are "original California cars". One would think that 70% of the entire market of all cars originated in California. Of course to be different some say Arizona...only when all the documentation and provenance is provable (often it is conveniently missing) does this make sense.

Like the old saying goes--there are 50,000 surfers in California, and 500,000 that dress like them. 

[scoot]

I'm always astounded in the collectible and classic car market just how many cars (regardless of license plate) are "original California cars". One would think that 70% of the entire market of all cars originated in California.

Being a California car is relevant, but it's not all that important.  There are lots of rusty places in California and lots of not-rusty places outside of California.  For the _most_ part, you can assume that a California car wasn't driven on salted roads.    What I find the difference is in looking at cars from various parts of the country is _where_ the rust is.  Generally I think of frame rust and rockers as being related to salt, whereas I think of windshield surrounds and trunk rust to be more "wet" related.  I see a lot less frame rust in California, except on certain cars.  The 280SE that I bought as a parts car lived in Germany, Alaska, Michigan, New York, and Portland.  If you tried to use the jack points on the driver side of the car I'm pretty sure the car would fall in half.  But it had a $8000 engine rebuild and a $1600 injection pump replacement and $30,000 in other repairs in the last 6 years/40,000 miles so I really don't care about the body and frame.  I just want the stuff out of it.

[Alan Smithee]

Really surprised Hemmings is perpetuating misinformation that these new black plates are "stamped from original molds".  They may be original molds from the pre-'lipstick' 7-digit plates that were used from the late-1970s to mid-1990s (first in blue, then in white), but they are not the same molds used for the 6-digit black plates from the 1960s.

[rwmastel]

Alan,
Hi.  Do you know this because you're a license plate stamper, or do you have some other source?

[Alan Smithee]

I've managed to avoid prison so far, so no, I am not a license plate stamper.  It does not take much of a trained eye to see the difference in digit size and spacing between a 6-digit plate and a 7-digit plate.