NEW BRUNSWICK

The first automobile registration law, 5 Edward VII, Chapter 6, passed April 8, 1905, required automobile owners to register with the Secretary of the Department of Public Works and pay a one-time $5 fee.  In addition, owners were to display a province-issued disc, an owner-provided rear plate of "black or white ground" with 3-inch-tall numbers and 1-inch-tall "initial letters of the province", and 1-inch-tall headlight numbers.  Dealers and manufacturers were allowed to register for as many extra discs as needed for $1 per each additional disc.  Non-residents were exempted as long as they were registered in their home province or state and displayed plates accordingly.  Motorcycles were not included in this registration law.

Registration began with #1 issued on May 9, 1905.  #13 was not issued due to a widespread perception that it was an unlucky number to drive with!  Numbers issued by calendar year are listed in the table below:

         1905     1 -  12    (12)

         1906    14 -  41    (28)

         1907    42 -  79    (38)

         1908    80 - 104    (25)

         1909   105 - 167    (63)

         1910   168 - 299   (132)

         1911   300 - 483   (184)

Most plates were either black on white or white on black with a vertical "NB" suffix.  The highest known pre-provincial plate is #301.  Undated discs continued to be issued through at least 1924, based on the highest number known, #19680.

A new law, 1 George V, Chapter 19, was passed 4/13/1911, providing for annual dated province-issued pairs of plates.  The highest known 1911 plate is #454.  Motorcycles began to be registered at this time, but were merely issued passenger plates in 1911 and 1912, with just four listed in 1911.  In 1913, the lowest numbers of the passenger series were reserved for motorcycles, and actual motorcycle plates began issuance in 1914, with the highest known 1914 motorcycle plate being #95.

Dealers were also issued passenger plates in 1911 and 1912, but began a separate plate series in 1913.  1913-17 Dealer plates were undated but matched the passenger plate colors each year.  The design featured a full-size "N.B." or "N.B" suffix, and the words "DEALERS TAG" or "DEALERS" at bottom.