Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1942

Last updated August 02, 2023

Vehicle registration plates of the United States by year
Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1941	Events of 1942	Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1943

All of the 48 states of the United States of America plus several of its territories and the District of Columbia issued individual passenger license plates dated for the year 1942, and due to metal conservation for World War II, 1943 and 1944 for most states. In 1942, automobile production in the United States was halted for the duration of World War II, and many automobile factories were converted to munitions or other war-oriented industrial manufacturing purposes until 1946.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Most states conserved metal for World War II in some way. Many states stopped issuing front plates, while other states such as Illinois issued license plates made out of soybean fiberboard. Most states either issued plates intended to be revalidated with metal tabs or revalidated license plates with tabs. Some other states, such as Wisconsin, used small plates.

Passenger baseplates

Passenger Car Plates
Region	Design	Slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
Alabama	Embossed yellow lettering and on black base. "ALABAMA 1942" under registration at bottom center.	none	12A 345	unknown	Coded by county of issuance: 0A1-234 00A1-234
Alaska	Embossed black lettering on white base. "ALASKA 1942" embossed at bottom.	none	1234
Arizona	Embossed black lettering on white base with rounded corners. "ARIZONA 42" embossed at top.	"GRAND CANYON STATE" at bottom center.
Arkansas	Embossed orange lettering and rims on black base. "1942" embossed at top; "ARKANSAS" embossed at bottom center.	none	123–456	unknown
California	Embossed yellow lettering on black base. "19 CALIFORNIA 41" embossed at top.	none	1A 23 45 12 A 345	unknown	Embossed black-on-yellow "19 CALIFORNIA 42" renewal tabs to cover top lettering issued for wartime metal shortages.
Canal Zone	Embossed white lettering on navy base. "1942" embossed at top; "CANAL ZONE" at bottom.	none	12345
Colorado	Embossed white lettering and rims on maroon base. "19 COLORADO 42" embossed at top.	none	1-12345 12-1234	unknown	County-coded registration
Connecticut	Embossed white numbers on maroon plate; "CONN. 1933" embossed in white characters at bottom.	none	1234 A123 A/B123	unknown	Issued in blocks by branch office.
Delaware	Two types: (1) Black porcelain-painted enamel on steel with painted white numbers. Renewal tabs for date and year inserted through slots at top right and left. or (2) Embossed orange numbers on blue base.	none	12-345
District of Columbia	Embossed yellow lettering and rims on black base. "DIST. OF COLUMBIA" or "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA" embossed at bottom; "EX 3-31-42" at top.	none	1234 12-345 123–456
Florida	Embossed orange lettering and border on royaL blue background. "19 FLORIDA 42" embossed at top.	none	12A3456	unknown	County- and weight-class-coded
Georgia	Embossed white registration and embossed orange lettering and rims on navy blue plate.	none	A12-345		This may be the only 1942 passenger issue with different colors for different embossed lettering.
Guam
Hawai'i	Embossed white lettering on black base. "HAWAII 1942" embossed at bottom.	none	A1234
Idaho	Embossed black lettering on white base.
Illinois	Embossed golden yellow lettering on black base plate. "ILLINOIS 1942" embossed at bottom.	none	123 456	unknown
Indiana	Dark blue lettering embossed on golden yellow base.	none	123–456	unknown
Iowa	Embossed white lettering on navy base. "IOWA – 1942" at top.	none	1–2345 12-3456	County-coded
Kansas	Embossed white numbers on green plate with border line; "KANSAS '42" embossed in white block letters centered at bottom; painted sunflower logos at bottom corners.	none	1-12345 10-12345 100–123	unknown	County-coded registration
Kentucky	Black base with white embossed lettering and border. County name at bottom.	none	12345	unknown
Louisiana	Embossed white lettering and rims on red base. Pelican logo separator embossed near center.	none	12-345 123–456
Maine	Embossed black numbers on beige plate with border line; "MAINE 1942" embossed in black block letters centered above numbers.	"VACATIONLAND" embossed in black block letters centered below numbers	12-345 123–456	1 to approximately 177-000
Maryland	Embossed black numbers on silver plate with border line; "MARYLAND" embossed in black block letters centered at top; "3–31" embossed in top left corner and "1942" in top right corner.	"DRIVE CAREFULLY" embossed in black block letters centered at bottom.	12-345 123–456	30-000 to approximately 647-000
Massachusetts	Embossed white numbers on red plate or on dark green plate. "MASS – 42" embossed at bottom.	none	12-345 123–456
Michigan	Embossed white lettering on dark green base. "MICHIGAN" embossed at top and "42" at bottom.	none	AB-12-34		County-coded (AB).
Minnesota	Embossed red lettering and rims on white base. "MINNESOTA 1942" embossed at bottom.	12-345 123–456	unknown
Mississippi	Blue with embossed yellow lettering and rim. The county name was stamped at the top left of the license plate, The letters "MISS" were arranged vertically between the "123" and "456" parts of the registration number.	none	123–456	unknown	Issued in blocks by county.
Missouri	Embossed black lettering and rims on white base. "MISSOURI 1942" embossed at bottom.	none	12-345 123–456
Montana	Embossed white numbers on black plate with state-shaped border; "MONTANA–42" embossed in white block letters below numbers	none	1-12345 10-1234
Nebraska	Embossed red lettering on white base. "NEBRASKA 42" embossed at bottom.	none	1–2345 12-3456		County-coded (12 or 1)
Nevada	Embossed white lettering and rims on blue base. "NEVADA 1942" embossed at bottom.	none	123–456
New Hampshire	Embossed green lettering and rims on white base.	Embossed forest green numbers on white plate with border line.
New Jersey	Embossed golden yellow numbers on black base. "N.J. 1942" embossed at bottom.	none	AB 123		County-coded (AB)
New Mexico	Embossed black lettering on white base. "NEW MEXICO" embossed at bottom with Zia sun symbol with two-letter year embossed at left.	"LAND OF ENCHANTMENT" embossed at top.	1–234 12-345		County-coded (1 or 12)
New York	Embossed golden yellow lettering on black base. "NY 42" embossed at top center.	none	1A23-45 (and other formats)		County-coded.
North Carolina	Yellow base with embossed black lettering. "NORTH CAROLINA 42" at bottom.	none	123–456	unknown
North Dakota	Embossed yellow lettering and rims on red plate. "ND" embossed vertically to left and "1942" vertically at right.	none	12-345 123–456
Ohio	Embossed forest green lettering on white plate. "OHIO 1942" embossed at bottom.	none	123-AB 12345 A-123-B AB-123		County-coded in blocks
Oklahoma	Embossed black lettering and rims on white plate. "OKLAHOMA 1942" at top.	1–2345 12-3456			County-coded (1 or 12).
Oregon	Embossed white numbers on blue plate with border line; "OREGON" embossed in white block letters centered at bottom; "19" embossed in bottom left corner and "42" in bottom right corner	none	123–456	1 to approximately 495-000
Pennsylvania	Blue lettering on yellow base with blue state map outline. "1942 PENNA" embossed at top center.	none	A1234 AB123
Rhode Island	Embossed white lettering and rims on black base. "R.I. 42" embossed at bottom center.	none	1234 A1234
South Carolina	Embossed golden yellow lettering on jet-black base. "SOUTH CAROLINA 42" embossed at top.	none	A-1 A-12 A-123 A-1234		Coded by weight class (A).
South Dakota	Jet-black lettering embossed on golden yellow base. "SOUTH DAKOTA 1942" embossed at top.	none	1-12345 12-12345		County-coded (1 or 12)
Tennessee	Jet-black lettering and rims embossed on state-shaped base.
Texas	Black embossed lettering on gold base.	none	123–456 A12-345
Utah	Black on white, "UTAH" at left under "42."	"CENTER SCENIC AMERICA" embossed at bottom.	A1234	unknown
Vermont	Navy lettering embossed on white base. "19 VERMONT 42" embossed at bottom.	none	1–234 12-345
Virginia	Embossed black lettering on white base. "VIRGINIA 1942" embossed at top.	none	123–456
Washington	Embossed green lettering on white base. "WASHINGTON 1942" embossed at bottom.	none	A-12345
West Virginia	Embossed yellow numbers on black plate with border line; "W. VA. EXP.-6-30-42" embossed in yellow block letters at bottom	none	123–456	1 to approximately 349-000
Wisconsin	Embossed golden yellow numbers on black plate; "19 WISCONSIN 42" at bottom	"AMERICA'S DAIRYLAND" at top	123 456	1 to approximately 775 000	Corners were rounded and plates were revalidated for 1943 with white tabs, for 1944 with green tabs, and for 1945 with white tabs, due to metal conservation for World War II.
Wisconsin	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate with border line; "WIS" embossed at bottom left, embossed yellow oval with debossed black "1942" at bottom right	none	A12, A1B, AB1, ABC, 12A, 1A2, 1AB	A00 to 9ZZ	Issued from late 1942 to late 1943 for World War II metal conservation; revalidated to 1945. Every possible combination of 3 characters was exhausted.
Wyoming	Embossed black numbers and Bucking Horse and Rider on white plate with border line; "1942 WYOMING" embossed in black block letters at top	none	1–1234 2-A123 10-1234		County coded (1 or 10)

Non-passenger plates

Non-passenger plates
Region	Type	Design and slogan	Serial format	Serials issued	Notes
Wisconsin	Bus	Embossed yellow serial on black plate; "WIS" over "BUS" at top left, "41" over "42" at top right; quarterly tab at top between caption and year	A 12	Coded by weight class	Weight classes are same as truck/heavy truck
	Cabin	Embossed black serial on gray plate with border line; "41 CABIN 42" at top, "WISCONSIN" at bottom	1234	1 to approximately 1900
	Dealer	Embossed golden yellow serial on black plate with border line; "19 WIS DEALER 42" at top, "AMERICA'S DAIRYLAND" at bottom	1234 A	Dealer number and plate number	Number is the dealer number, letter is the plate number for that dealer
	Farm	Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "41 FARM TR'K 42" at top, vertical "WIS" at left	12345	1 to approximately 65000	Some later plates had a "TR'K FARM" caption
	Motorcycle	Embossed yellow serial on black plate with border line; "WIS 1942" at bottom	1234	1 to approximately 3000
	Municipal	Embossed black serial on golden yellow plate; unknown format	1234	Unknown to approximately 8900	Identifiable by a hollow diamond
	Official	Unknown format or colors	123	1 to unknown	Identifiable by a hollow star.
	Light Private Trailer	Embossed black serial on gray plate; "41 WIS TRAILER 42" at bottom, "NOT FOR HIRE" at top	A1234	Coded by weight class	Weight classes same as truck.
	Heavy Trailer	Embossed yellow serial on black plate; "WIS" over "T-L" at top left, "41" over "42" at top right; quarterly tab at top between caption and year	A 12	Coded by weight class	Weight classes same as heavy truck. Issued to all commercial trailers, and issued to private trailers above the D weight class.
	Truck	Embossed black serial on gray plate; "41 WIS TRUCK 42" at bottom, "NOT FOR HIRE" at top	12-345A	Coded by weight class	Serials start at 25-001A. Weight classes are A, B, C, and D.
	Heavy Truck	Embossed yellow serial on black plate; "WIS" over "TRK" at top left, "41" over "42" at top right; quarterly tab at top between caption and year	A 1234	Coded by weight class	Weight classes are E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, and N. Light commercial trucks received identical plates in the A, B, C, and D weight classes.

Related Research Articles

Each of the fifty states of the US plus many of its territories and the District of Columbia issued license plates for registered vehicles for the calendar year 1960.

Each of the 48 states of the United States of America plus several of its territories and the District of Columbia issued individual passenger license plates for 1952. Many states revalidated their 1951 plates due to Korean War metal savings.

Each of the 50 constituent states of the United States of America plus several of its territories and the District of Columbia issued individual passenger license plates for 1976.

In 1910 the Canal Zone, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, and New York joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and no new states entered the prestate era. There were now 19 states and 2 territories that were issuing license plates and 14 other states requiring owners to provide their own license plates.

In 1911 Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, and Oregon joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and no new states entered the prestate era. There were now 26 states and 2 territories that were issuing license plates and 10 other states requiring owners to provide their own license plates.

In 1912 Mississippi, New Mexico, and Puerto Rico joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and no new states entered the prestate era. There were now 28 states and 3 territories that were issuing license plates and 9 other states requiring owners to provide their own license plates.

In 1913 Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and Montana and Nevada entered the prestate era. There were now 35 states and 3 territories that were issuing license plates and 8 other states requiring owners to provide their own license plates.

In 1914 Arizona and California joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and no new states entered the prestate era. There were now 37 states and 3 territories that were issuing license plates and 7 other states requiring owners to provide their own license plates.

In 1915 Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and no new states entered the prestate era. There were now 44 states and 3 territories that were issuing license plates and 2 other states requiring owners to provide their own license plates.

In 1916 Guam and Nevada joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and no new states entered the prestate era. There were now 45 states and 4 territories that were issuing license plates and 1 other state requiring owners to provide their own license plates.

In 1917 South Carolina, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and no new states entered the prestate era. There were now 47 states and 5 territories that were issuing license plates and 1 other state requiring owners to provide their own license plates.

At this early point in the history of license plates in the United States of America, none of the 45 states, territories, or the District of Columbia, was issuing its own plates. In this year New York became the first state to require vehicle owners to register their vehicles. The owners of these early New York vehicles had to provide their own license plates with only their initials on them. Plates were often made of metal letters on a thick leather background or on a steel base. This system of using the owners initials lasted until 1903 when a change to using a number provided by the state began.

Massachusetts became the first state to officially issue vehicle license plates in 1903. New York continued to require their residents to register their vehicles with the state, but the owner had to supply their own license plate. Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia all began to require vehicle registration with the vehicle owners also supplying their own plate. Each of the other states of the United States of America plus several of its territories did not require or issue license plates during 1903.

In 1904 Rhode Island became the second state, joining Massachusetts, to issue its own license plates, and the states of Iowa and Maryland began to require owners to provide their own license plates.

In 1905 the states of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and West Virginia all began to issue their own license plates. The prestate era of plates began in the states of California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakoya, Tennessee. This year saw the most changes during the prestate era. Eight states were now issuing plates and another 17 required their owners to provide their own plates.

In 1906 Pennsylvania and Virginia joined the list of those providing license plates to vehicle owners, and the prestate era began in Washington (state). There were now 10 states that were issuing license plates and 17 other states requiring owners to provide their own license plates.

In 1907 the District of Coumbia joined the list of states providing license plates to vehicle owners, and the prestate era began in Illinois and Missouri. There were now 11 states and territories that were issuing license plates and 18 other states requiring owners to provide their own license plates.

In 1908 Delaware, New Jersey and Ohio joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and no new states entered the prestate era. There were now 14 states and territories that were issuing license plates and 16 other states requiring owners to provide their own license plates.

In 1909 Minnesota joined the list of states and territories providing license plates to vehicle owners, and North Carolina and Utah entered the prestate era. There were now 15 states and territories that were issuing license plates and 17 other states requiring owners to provide their own license plates.

At this early point in the history of license plates in the United States of America, none of the 45 states, territories, or the District of Columbia, was issuing its own plates. The state of New York remained the only state that required vehicle owners to register their automobiles. The system of using the owner's initials as the registration number, begun in 1901, remained in effect. This would change in 1903 when a number was assigned to each owner to display on their vehicle. Across the country the increases in the number of automobiles was being noticed, and there were many cities, like Chicago, that had already begun to require their owners to register their vehicles.

References

↑ Fox, Jams K. (1997). License Plates of the United States: A Pictorial History 1903-To the Present. Jerico, New York: Interstate Directory Publishing Company. ISBN 9781886777002.
↑ Minard, Jeff; Stentiford, Tim (2004). A Moving History, 50 Years Of ALPCA. 100 Years Of License Plates. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company. p. 58. ISBN 1-56311-975-7.
↑ Crisler, Bob; Crisler, Chuck, eds. (2007). License Plate Values (7th ed.). King Publishing Company.
↑ Martells, Jack (1980). Antique Automotive Collectibles. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc. pp. 128–145. ISBN 0-8092-7205-9.

External links

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[1] Fox, Jams K. (1997). License Plates of the United States: A Pictorial History 1903-To the Present. Jerico, New York: Interstate Directory Publishing Company. ISBN 9781886777002.

[2] Minard, Jeff; Stentiford, Tim (2004). A Moving History, 50 Years Of ALPCA. 100 Years Of License Plates. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing Company. p. 58. ISBN 1-56311-975-7.

[3] Crisler, Bob; Crisler, Chuck, eds. (2007). License Plate Values (7th ed.). King Publishing Company.

[4] Martells, Jack (1980). Antique Automotive Collectibles. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc. pp. 128–145. ISBN 0-8092-7205-9.

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v t e Vehicle license plates of the United States
States	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Federal district	Washington, D.C.
Insular areas	American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands
Other registration plates	Canal Zone Native American tribes Designs and serial formats
By year	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

v t e Vehicle registration plates of North America
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Dependencies and other territories	Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands