Virginia began automobile registration and state-issued plates in 1906.  The red and green "Christmas" colors used in 1927 caused a stir because they were hard to read.  After that debacle, Virginia has stuck with very basic colors, often black and white, ever since.  Virginia's 1944 plates were not only fiberboard, they were embossed; an unusual combination.  Don't write off the 1955-72 tags as being boring - the state and year legend placement actually followed a strict six-year rotation plan to help prevent counterfeiting!  The earliest of the four currently valid base plates began issue in 1979.