Michigan began automobile registration in 1905 and state-issued plates in 1910.  For the first ten years, all plates had the state seal imprinted (1910-14) or attached on an aluminum tab (1915-19).  Half-year windshield decals (1933-37) and then plates (1938-46) were issued at a reduced fee to help car owners afford their registration fees during the Great Depression and World War II.  Michigan's 1976 Bicentennial plate won the ALPCA Best Plate Award that year.  The earliest of the two currently valid base plates began issue in 2007.