CALIFORNIA MOTORCYCLE PLATES

Numbers assumed to have begun at #1 1914-21, 1951-55, #1001

1922-50, 1956-62.  No I,O used 1914-19.  Only repeating

letters used 1917-19.  1916-19 tabs pre-curved.

Numbers assigned in bold.

1914      1 - 9999, A000 - Q285      (24,285)

1915      1 - 9999, A000 - S964      (26,964*)

1916-19   1 - 9999, A000 - Z999,

(1917)            AA 000 - ZZ 999,

(1919)           AAA 000 - MMM 380   (69,380)   (TTT reported)

1920     788 - 27 825  (27,038*)      1932      1 547 - 10 936   (9,390*)

1921       1 - 24 952  (24,952*)      1933      7 124 -  9 483   (2,360)

1922   1 001 - 21 000  (20,000*)      1934      19 53 - 11 111   (9,159)

1923   2 071 - 21 512  (19,442*)      1935      15 38 - 10 333   (8,796)

1924   1 077 - 15 271  (14,195*)      1936      18 33 - 10 874   (9,042)

1925   2 977 -  9 689   (6,713)       1937      16 04 -  99 70   (8,367)

1926   5 408 -  9 499   (4,092)       1938      23 07 - 11 289   (8,983)

1927   1 302 - 11 437  (10,136)       1939      21 95 - 15 159  (12,965)

1928   1 537 - 10 620   (9,084)       1940      2109  - 18194   (16,086*)

1929   1 247 - 11 060   (9,814*)      1941      2531  - 22647   (20,117*)

1930   1 247 -  8 410   (7,164)       1942-44   5769  - 38 576  (32,808)

1931   3 462 -  9 322   (5,861)       1945-46  11 970 - 77 465  (65,496)

1923:  50 001 - 51 000 Oakland; 50 794 seen.

1928:   9 401 - 10 000 Fresno.

VARIATIONS

1929:  6 holes, square "2" of date  1 247 - 4 603

       4 holes, slanted "2" of date 9 440

1936:  Legend at bottom            18 33 - 26 89, 10 803 - 10 874

       Legend at top               98 64 - 98 76

1939:  Thick dies                  34 77 - 36 43, 10 984

       Thin dies                   6880  - 8863

TABS  (1" x 3 1/2" 1946)

1943 "V"        13107 -   17992      1950   0009007 - 0068718*

1944 "Bear"      3002 -  181787*     1952     12551 -   57913

1946            10306 -   26509      1953   0007919 - 0026201

1948          0014712 - 0069756      1954   0001562 - 0052365

1949          0002519 - 0065460      1955   0003091 - 0022350

1947-50 BASE

1947 Type 1: Thick dies        11 472 - 77 460           (65,989)

1949 Type 2: Thin dies         79 036 - 132737           (53,702)

                                                  (TOTAL 121,266)

1951-55 BASE                              (4-6-digits have space)

1951                              964 - 113 889         (112,926)

1956-62 BASE                                (5-digits have space)

1956 Type 1: Tab slot             454 - 126132          (125,679)

1960 Type 2: Tab slot, alum.   135794 -

1961 Type 1a                   138353 - 145392            (7,040)

1961 Type 3: No tab slot       146124 - 200016           (53,893)

                                                  (TOTAL 199,563)

1963-70 BLACK BASE

1963                           100057 -  999628         (899,572)

1970-87 BLUE BASE                                  No I,O,Q used.

1970          Type 1           1A0000 -  5A8845          (48,846)

1970          Type 2           6A0313 -  4C9223         (168,911)

1971 "MAR 72" Type 3           7C1030 -  7K9568         (638,539)

1976 "JUN 77" Type 4           8K0217 -  4P9694         (329,478)

1980 "APR 81" Type 5           1R5593 -  9Z9999         (804,407)

1985 "JUL 86" Type 6          21A0000 - 29B0054         (170,055)

                                                (TOTAL 2,240,055)

Description of Types:

Type 1 - Large 5" x 8" size

Type 2 - Small 4" x 7" size, wide "CAL" to left of UR corner

Type 3 - Small 4" x 7" size, wide "CAL" in UR corner

Type 4 - Small 4" x 7" size, thin "CAL" in UR corner

Type 5 - As Type 4, but aluminum, not steel

Type 6 - As Type 5, but thinner 7-character dies

Monthly Staggered Registration began 3/1/1971, expire "MAR 72",

for new registrations only on a pilot basis.  Monthly Staggered

Registration began 1976 for all others, same as passenger.

Final order:  29B5000 - 29C4999 (29C apparently instead of 21C)

1984-2023 WHITE BASE                               No I,O,Q used.

1983 "MAR 84" Type 1         11A0000 - 15V9999        (1,110,000)

2001 "MAY 02" Type 2         15W0000 - 25Y0129        (2,220,130)

                                                (TOTAL 3,330,130)

Description of Types:

Type 1 - No space between letter and numbers (16K0199 seen)

Type 2 - Half space between letter and numbers (16K5977 seen)

SEQUENCES

1970-87 TYPES 1-5:  Letter control - 1A0000 - 9A9999, 1B0000,etc.

1986-87 TYPE 6:  Letter control - prefixes 21A-29A, 21B-29B used.

1983-ON TYPES 1-2:  Prefix number control - 11A0000 - 11Z9999,

                    12A0000, etc.

(Expected to skip A-B in prefixes 21-29, and 29C)