Automobile registration in Texas began in 1907, requiring auto owners to register with their county clerk.  State-issued plates began in 1917.  Smaller radiator seals or mini-plates were also issued in most years from 1917 through 1924.  The lone star first appeared on full-size plates in 1923.  Texas plates celebrated the state's Centennial (1936), Hemisfair (1968) and Sesquicentennial (1985-86).  The earliest of the three currently valid base plates began issue in 2000.