ILLINOIS PLATE TYPES - SUMMARY CHRONOLOGICALLY BY INTRODUCTION DATE
(Types researched through 1979/JUN 80)
PLATE TYPE EARLIEST SEEN BEGAN NOTES
Passenger 1911 7/1/11 H.B. 593 P 6/10/1911
Motorcycle 1911 7/1/11 H.B. 593 P 6/10/1911
Dealer 1912
Tractor 1920 1920 H.B. 474 P 6/30/1919
Truck 1920 1920 H.B. 474 P 6/30/1919
Trailer 1924 1924 H.B. 585 P 6/29/1923
Sample 1925
Public Owned 1932 1932? With X Truck in 1930
American Legion 1935
Flat Tax 1936 1936?
Mileage Tax Truck 1936 1936 S.B. 601 P 7/9/1935
Public Owned Trailer [1947 chart]1936? 1st listed wheel book
40/8 Voiture 1937
Mileage Tax Trailer [1947 chart]1937? 1st listed wheel book
Official 1940 1937
David Rubinoff, Violinist 1938 1938
Farm 1938 1938 H.B. 166 P 4/21/1937
Farm Trailer 1953 1940? 1st listed wheel book
In Transit 1940 1940 S.B. 521 P 7/13/1939
Trailer HH 1940
House/Senate 1941 1941 H.B. 895 P 7/28/1941
Bus [1947 chart]1942? 1st listed 1942
Taxi 1945 1942? Listed 1942
Livery 1947 Numbers listed 1942
Semi Trailer 1947
Manufacturer 1948 1948? Not on 1947 chart
Disabled Veteran 1948 3/6/48
Special Event 1948
Historic Automobile 1949 1949
State Civil Defense 1951 Only year seen
Local Bus 1953 Reported in 1951
Perm. Mounted Equipment 1954 Law P 1953
Amateur Radio 1956 1956 S.B. 52 P 5/11/1955
U.S. Congress 1959 1958 H.B. 802 P 6/26/1957
Motorcycle Dealer 1959 1959
Municipal Bus [1959 chart]1959? Law P 6/24/1957
Trailer Dealer [1959 chart]1959
Prorate Sticker 1960 1960
State Owned 1961 1961
Auxiliary Axle [1964 chart]1964 S.B.1062 P 8/13/1963
Consular Corps 1965 Reported 1962
Repossessor 1967 S.B. 657 P 8/2/1965
School Bus 1967 S.B. 135 P 5/2/1963
Supreme Court 1967 Reportedly began '67
Antique Vehicle 1968-69 1968 H.B. 1945 P 7/28/1967
State Police 1968-69 1968
Truck Tractor 1968
Farm Machinery 1969 H.B. 1945 P 7/28/1967
Mileage Tax Truck Tract. 1970/71 1969? Reported 1969/70
Presidential Inaug. Comm. 1973 1969? H.B. 1944 P 8/7/1967
Prorate Auxiliary Axle [1972 chart]1969?
Prorate Aux. Axle Trailer[1972 chart]1969?
Prorate Semi Trailer 1969 1969
Prorate Trailer [1972 chart]1969
Prorate Truck 1969 1969
Prorate Truck Tractor 1969 1969
Prorate Truck Tractor DB [1972 chart]1969?
Recreational Vehicle 1969 1969 H.B.2637 P 8/21/1968
Truck Tractor DB 1969
U.S. Senator 1969 Reportedly began '69
Electric Vehicle 1971-72 1971 P.A.76-1628 P9/30/69
Ambulance 1972 Reportedly began '72
Ceremonial [1972 chart]
Funeral Home 1972
Sec. of State Investigat.1972-73 Reportedly began '72
Senate President [1972 chart]
Speaker of the House [1972 chart]
Recreational Trailer JUN 74 JUN 73? P.A.77-720 P 8/12/71
Driver Education 1974 Reportedly began '74
Handicapped 1974 1974 P.A.78-321 P 8/15/73
Personalized (Limited) 1974 1974
Limousine 1975
Charitable Bus 1976 1976 P.A.79-698 P 9/3/75
Charitable Vehicle 1978-79 Reportedly began '76
Conservation Truck JUN 82
Conservation Truck Tract.JUN 77 Reported JUN 72
House Majority Leader 1976
House Minority Leader 1977
Senate Majority Leader 1977
Senate Minority Leader 1977
State Owned In Transit 1976-77
Apport. Auxiliary Axle 1977 1977
(Apport. Aux. Axle Trailer?)
Apportioned Power 1977 1977
Apportioned Semi Trailer 1977 1977
Apportioned Trailer 1977 1977
Exempt Vehicle 1978-79 Reportedly began '78
Public Owned Handicapped 1978-79 Reportedly began '78
Recreational Camper 1978 Reportedly beg.JUN74
State Owned Handicapped 1978-79 Reportedly began '78
Fertilizer Spreader 1980
Personalized (Full) 1980 1980 P.A.81-987 P 9/22/1979
PERMITS:
Truck Weight Limit UND. 1920 H.B. 474 P 6/30/1919
National Guard UND. H.B. 790 P 7/21/1947
Illinois Commerce Comm. 1954/55 7/1/54 S.B. 444 P 7/7/1953
Prorate 1958 1958 Law P 1957
Reciprocity UND. 1958 Law P 1957
LETTER PREFIX KEY: (All other letters/years are Passenger)
A,B,C Truck 1930-68 T Mileage Tax Truck 1936-52
D Dealer 1914, Truck 1932-68 U State Owned 1961-79
E Truck 1932-68 V,W Trailer 1959-68
F,G Truck 1933-68 X Truck 1930-68
H Public Owned 1932-33, Y Trailer 1959-68
Truck 1934-68 BM Municipal Bus 1959-68
J Trailer 1959-68 DL Dealer 1959-80
K,L Truck 1946-68 FH Funeral Home 1972-79
M Truck 1930-32, IT In Transit 1959-79
Public Owned 1934-79 MT Public Owned Trailer 1959-60
N Truck 1946-68 PM Permanently Mounted Equip. 1954-68
O Livery/Taxi 1945-71 ST Semi Trailer 1959-68
P Truck 1950-68 TB-TX Mileage Tax Truck 1954-68
R,S Trailer 1959-68
DETAILED NOTES ALPHABETICALLY BY TYPE:
Numbers assumed to begin at #1 unless noted.
Numbers in bold are highest listed in state wheel books.
Passenger colors unless noted.
Fiscal year colors 1969-79 on Truck page.
Biennial colors: 1968-69 Red/White 1974-75 Red/White
1970-71 Black/Blue 1976-77 Blue/White
1972-73 Orange/White 1978-79 Black/White
[ ] = Number on 1947 or 1959 chart.
1946-58: "FRONT" or "REAR" on some types.
1947: All plates fiberboard except Dealer Master.
1968: No "18 - 18" except Livery, Mileage Tax Truck, Public Owned,
Repossessor, Sample, Trailer, Truck.
1976, 1976-77: Slogan top, "19 ILLINOIS 76" or "76 ILLINOIS 77" bottom.
PASSENGER (See Passenger page)
AMATEUR RADIO
S.B. 52 P 5/11/1955. Began 1/1/1956. $3 extra fee.
Multi-year plates began 1984.
LEGENDS: Vertical "AMATEUR" left, vertical "RADIO" right 1956-83.
1956 W9AA - W9ZZZ, K9AAA - K9ZZZ
1963 WA9AAA - WA9ZZZ
1973 WB9AAA - WB9ZZZ
1978 WD9AAA - WD9ZZZ
AMBULANCE
Reportedly began 1972. Earliest seen 1972.
LEGENDS: Vertical "AMB" left 1972-80.
1972 3248 1975 5055 1978 4402
1973 5023 1976 5068 1979 4400
1974 4350 1977 5090 1980 4399
AMERICAN LEGION (1954-58: See Special Event)
Earliest seen 1935.
LEGENDS: "AMERICAN LEGION" top 1935, arched "AMERICAN LEGION" top 1938-42.
Small number dies all years.
1935 31 1938 118 1941 470
1936 1939 766 1942 246
1937 1940 470
ANTIQUE VEHICLE
H.B. 1945 P 7/28/1967. Began 1968.
Issued to vehicles at least 30 years old for $20 biennial fee.
New registrants in 1969 issued 1969-70 plate, but this overlap
was corrected 1970 to allow $10 fee for second year of each base.
On 7/1/1974, biennial fee reduced to $10, and vehicles at least
25 years old allowed.
LEGENDS: Vertical "ANTIQUE" left, vertical "VEHICLE" right all years.
1968-69 1 - 184 (Thin dies 265 - 290) 1974-75 1 - 4473
1969-70 255 - 284 Dark Blue/Orange 1976-77 1 - 6645
1970-71 1 - 1227 1978-79 1 - 8471
1972-73 1 - 2335
APPORTIONED AUXILIARY AXLE
Began 1977. Discontinued 1978.
LEGENDS: "19 ILLINOIS 77" top, "APPORTIONED" bottom, vertical
"AUX" followed by vertical "AXLE" left 1977.
1977 5300
(APPORTIONED AUXILIARY AXLE TRAILER
May have begun 1977. None seen. Discontinued 1978.)
APPORTIONED POWER
Began 1977. Issued to truck tractors.
LEGENDS: Vertical "POWER" left, "APPORTIONED" bottom 1977, 1979, top 1978.
1977 1 152 - 16 953
1978 1 927 - 64 408
1979 1 001 - 47 056
APPORTIONED SEMI TRAILER
Began 1977.
LEGENDS: Vertical "SEMI" before "TRAILER" left, "APPORTIONED" bottom 1977, 1979, top 1978.
1977 1 245 - 97 001
1978 9 633 - 64 038
1979 1 001 - 52 111
APPORTIONED TRAILER
Began 1977.
LEGENDS: Vertical "TRAILER" left, "APPORTIONED" bottom 1977.
1977 1195
AUXILIARY AXLE
S.B. 1062 P 8/13/1963. Began 1964. Discontinued 1978.
Registered as separate vehicles, the function of which is to
convert a single-axle tractor or semi-trailer to a tandem-axle
tractor or semi-trailer, or a semi-trailer to a full trailer.
4 1/4" x 10" all years.
1964 weight classes: XN, XN2, XP, KN, KN2, KP, NP, N2P, STV.
BUS
First listed 1942 in state wheel book microfilm index as BS 592 - BS 999.
Earliest seen 1947 chart. Last seen 1966. Discontinued by 1972.
As of 1951-52, issued to buses from 24,001 to 36,000 lbs. only.
Passenger colors all years.
LEGENDS: Vertical "BUS" left, "FRONT" or "REAR" bottom 1947,
vertical ""FRONT" or "REAR" left, followed by vertical "BUS" 1954-56, 1958,
vertical "BUS" left 1959, 1964-66.
1947 [601] 1956 287 1964 [250]
1954 1 1958 287 1965 204
1955 1 1959 [351] 1966 262
CEREMONIAL
Earliest seen 1972 chart. Issued to vehicles used only for
parades and ceremonies by non-profit veterans' organizations.
LEGENDS: "CEREMONIAL" below small numbers 1972-79.
1972-73 1976-77
1974-75 110 1978-79 250
CHARITABLE BUS
P.A. 79-698 P 9/3/1975, E 1/1/1976. Began 1976.
Issued to religious and non-profit organizations for vehicles
carrying >10 passengers.
LEGENDS: No legend, "CB" suffix 1976-79.
1976 3961 CB
1977 2000 CB
1978-79 6811 CB
CHARITABLE VEHICLE
Reportedly began 1976. Earliest seen 1978-79.
Issued to religious and non-profit organizations for vehicles
carrying up to 10 passengers.
LEGENDS: No legend, "CV" suffix 1978-79.
1978-79 14634CV
CONSERVATION TRUCK
Earliest seen JUN 1982. May have been issued as of JUN 1977.
Issued to private owned trucks transporting soil and related
equipment within 75 miles of point of registration.
LEGENDS: No legend, mid-size "CN" right JUN 82.
JUN 82 58 CN
CONSERVATION TRUCK TRACTOR
Reported JUN 1972. Earliest seen JUN 1977.
Issued to private owned truck tractors transporting soil and
related equipment within 75 miles of point of registration.
LEGENDS: No legend, small "T" before full-size "CN" rught JUN 77,
or mid-size "CN" right JUN 80.
JUN 77 462 T CN
JUN 80 47 T CN
CONSULAR CORPS
Reported 1962, but not on 1964 chart. Earliest seen 1965.
Green/White 1980.
LEGENDS: Vertical "OFFICIAL" in debossed oval left,
"CONSULAR CORPS" below small numbers 1965-75, 1977-80
(screened 1965-69, embossed 1971-80), vertical
"OFFICIAL" screened in blue box left, "CONSULAR CORPS"
embossed below small numbers 1976.
Some 1965 have "CONSULAR CORP".
1965 88 1969 140 1973 101 1977 194
1966 31 1970 14 1974 153 1978 192
1967 47 1971 70 1975 244 1979 298
1968 82 1972 1976 180 1980 189
DAVID RUBINOFF, VIOLINIST
Began 1938. Only seen 1938 in news articles, held by Bernice Stanger,
Rubinoff's secretary.
Special plate issued to famous violinist known for radio and film appearances.
Still issued in 1939. Similar type issued to Rubinoff in Texas in 1939-50.
(Rubinoff was also issued New York #UU-2 in 1934-40.)
1938: Dark/light, "RUBINOFF" top, "ILLINOIS 38" bottom, violin graphic left, #0.
DEALER
Provided for in 1911 law but not listed in 1911 registration
figures. Earliest seen 1912; #849 shown in 1912 Motor Magazine.
1912-15: Discs also issued.
1912: -2- seen.
1941: Fee for additional pair reduced from $10 to $3 each.
1955: Registered 7,868 dealers, with a total of 30,790 plates.
1956-57: $20 for master pair (no letter), $3 for each additional
pair (letter A - Z). If more than 26 extra plates are
needed, the suffix becomes a prefix.
Taller plate than passenger 1939-55. Pairs all years. Steel
1943, 1945, 1948, fiberboard 1947. Heavier steel began 1959.
LEGENDS: No legend, hexagon shape 1912,
"D" prefix, right arrow shape 1913,
"D" prefix 1914,
vertical "DEALER" left, hamburger shape 1915,
vertical "DEALER" left, rounded sides 1916-19,
vertical "DEALER" left 1920-35,
"DEALER" top, "ILL/36" right 1936-37,
"DEALER" top, "ILLINOIS 38" bottom even years 1938, 1942-54,
"ILLINOIS 39" top, "DEALER" bottom 1939, odd years 1939, 1943-55 except
Master 1947 "ILL-47" top, vertical "DEALER" left,
"DEALER" top, "ILLINOIS 1940" bottom 1940,
"ILLINOIS 1941" top, "DEALER" bottom 1941,
"DEALER" top, "19 ILLINOIS 56" bottom 1956, 1958,
"19 ILLINOIS 57" top, "DEALER" bottom 1957,
no legend, vertical "DL" prefix 1959-80. No "18 18" 1968.
COLORS: Passenger colors 1912-35, 1959-75, 1977-79,
White & Yellow/Black 1936, Black & White/Yellow 1937,
reverse colors 1938-58, Blue/White 1976, Green/White 1980.
1943: A85, A781, A1122 seen.
1944: 1931 steel, 3624 fiberboard.
1945: 3474 steel, 4463 fiberboard.
1946: Master plates steel (3970), extra plates fiberboard, plus
master plate 5296.
1947: Master plates steel, extra plates fiberboard.
1949: 1353 has 1938-42 dies, 3277 D has 1950-59 dies.
1963: 6572 has wide dies, 6572 D has thin dies.
1975: 0 AR, 00 X seen.
Highest numbers issued from state wheel book microfilm index:
1918 3547 (Nov.), 1919 4615, 1920 6275, 1922 3-545, 1924 4358,
1925 4561, 1926 4700, 1927 4430, 1929 4578, 1930 4000,
1932 4500, 1935 5000, 1936 4500, 1937 4-733.
1943 New Car 1 - 3000, Used Car 4501 - 5369.
Master plate pair has no letter; additional plate pairs have
letter suffix 1937-80. Letters seen:
A 1937, B 1937, C 1937, D 1941, E 1955, F 1949, G 1954, H 1943,
J 1941, K 1955, L 1954, M 1968, N 1957, P 1960, Q 1955, R 1954,
S 1960, T 1965, U 1968, V 1962, W 1972, X 1968, Y 1966, Z 1956,
A prefix 1943, BA 1962, BB 1962, BD 1963, BF 1967, CB 1974, DN 1976, DT 1980
1912 575 1930 [5000] 1948 6537 1966 6334
1913 D616 1931 [5000] 1949 7214 1967 5599
1914 D1198 1932 [5000] 1950 6686 1968 6539
1915 1458 1933 [5000] 1951 6477 1969 7454
1916 2871 1934 [5000] 1952 6006 1970 7104
1917 3270 1935 [5000] 1953 7720 1971 7104
1918 2381 1936 [4500] 1954 7460 1972 7104
1919 [5000] 1937 [4-500] 1955 7598 1973 6666
1920 [6000] 1938 [4500] 1956 6717 1974 7104
1921 [8000] 1939 [4500] 1957 6952 1975 7000
1922 [5-000] 1940 [5000] 1958 7418 1976 6570
1923 [5-000] 1941 [5050] 1959 4863 1977 6666
1924 [5000] 1942 [5000] 1960 5427 1978 6600
1925 [5000] 1943 3071 1961 5673 1979 6454
1926 [5000] 1944 3624 1962 6367 1980 7662,
1927 [5000] 1945 4463 1963 6572 0777
1928 [5000] 1946 5296 1964 6329
1929 [5000] 1947 6469 1965 6480
DISABLED VETERAN
Began 3/6/1948. Number blocks drawn from passenger series 1948.
Numbers reportedly began at V 1200 1949-79 (seen 1949) to avoid
duplication with Trailer class V.
LEGENDS: "DISABLED VETERAN" top 1948-50, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1958,
bottom 1951, 1953, 1955, 1957,
vertical "DISABLED" left, vertical "VETERAN" right 1959-79.
COLORS: Black & White/Orange 1948, Dark Blue & Red/Canary Yellow 1949-53,
Blue & Red/White 1954-79, Red and Blue stripes at right 1973-79.
RED FEATURES:
"DISABLED VETERAN" and "V" 1949-58
"DISABLED", slogan and "V" 1959, 1963, 1969, 1971
"DISABLED" and "V" 1960-61
"VETERAN", slogan and numbers 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968
"DISABLED", "19 ILLINOIS 65" and "V" 1965, 1967, 1970, 1972
"V" and numbers 1973-79
1948 1271 500 - 1271 599, 1400 701 - 1400 900, 1880 071 (301 P)
1949 V 1755 1959 V 2227 1969 V 3594
1950 V 2326 1960 V 2057 1970 V 3036
1951 V 2944 1961 V 1950 1971 V 2534
1952 V 2939* 1962 V 2698 1972 V 4017
1953 V 3050* 1963 V 2369 1973 V3739
1954 V 3153* 1964 [V 3199] 1974 V3955
1955 V 2059 1965 V 3017 1975 V3683
1956 V 3235* 1966 V 2870 1976 V3711
1957 V 2976 1967 V 2833 1977 V4080
1958 V 3235* 1968 V 2695 1978-79 V4197
DRIVER EDUCATION
Reportedly began 1974. Earliest seen 1974.
Number 0001 - 0999 = School. Master plate has no letters.
Additional plates have letter suffixes. (Verify D,I,N,O,R-Z,AA-AF,AH+)
LEGENDS: Vertical "DRIVER" before "EDUC." left all years.
1974 0696 1977 0367, 9004
1975 0727 1978-79 0485, 9020
1976 0727
ELECTRIC VEHICLE
P.A. 76-1628 P 9/30/1969, E 12/1/1970. Began 1971.
P.A. 79-700 P 9/3/1975 allowing higher-speed vehicles; A = Vehicle
capable of 45 MPH or more.
LEGENDS: Arched "ELECTRIC VEHICLE" above small numbers all years.
1971-72 72 Black/Yellow 1976-77 164
1972-73 72 1978-79 250, A100
1974-75 86 1980-81 111
EXEMPT VEHICLE
Reportedly began 1978. Earliest seen 1978-79 #1500.
LEGENDS: Vertical "EXEMPT" left, vertical "VEHICLE" right 1978-79.
FARM
H.B. 166 P 4/21/1937, E immediately. Began 1938.
Listed 1941 as AG 1 - AG 1158, plus custom AG 4540.
Issued to "tractors and trailers in agricultural work" as of 1942.
By 1947, issued to "trucks having farm machinery permanently
mounted thereon and used solely for transporting the same"
("vehicles" 1959-64).
Also issued to Farm Trailers 1959-68 (pairs verified 1959-60)!
Taller plate than passenger 1938-57.
Steel 1943-46, 1948, fiberboard 1947.
1948-49 have 1938-42 dies. 1968 has no "18 18" legend.
JUN 1980 weight classes: F,G,H,J,K,L,N,P,R,S.
LEGENDS: "FARM" top, "ILLINOIS 38" bottom 1938, even years 1942-56,
"ILLINOIS 39" top, "FARM" bottom 1939, odd years 1943-57,
"ILLINOIS 1941" top, "FARM" bottom 1941,
"FARM" top, "19 ILLINOIS 58" bottom 1958,
vertical "FARM" left 1959-80. (Verify 1940)
Vertical "FRONT" or "REAR" left 1946-47.
1938 299 1946 333 1954 831 1962 212
1939 359 1947 [1000] 1955 885 1963 7617
1940 1948 519 1956 874 1964 10 169
1941 1200 1949 1139 1957 1381 1965 10 184
1942 971 1950 524 1958 1540 1966 8605
1943 205 1951 767 1959 1237 1967 2014
1944 347 1952 955 1960 1257 1968 24 581
1945 387 1953 897 1961 629
P.A. 77-137 P 6/30/1971, E 7/1/1972, for new Farm plate series.
Re-began 7/1/1972, "JUN 73". Weight classes same as Truck.
V/F V/G V/H V/J V/K V/L V/N V/P V/R V/S TOTAL
JUN 73 7412 4089 2268 (13,769)
JUN 74 10347 5422 7600 418 (23,787)
JUN 75 6973 6451 8206 3847 (25,477)
JUN 76 6240 5007 8626 3310 (23,183)
JUN 77 5001 3539 8388 1641 114 148 141 (18,972)
JUN 78 4070 5214 8289 4553 270 264 (22,660)
JUN 79 5344 7790 10779 3222 1019 417 592 35 (29,198)
JUN 80 10127 4 1602 7931 3 222 148 3 397 9 (20,446)
FARM MACHINERY
H.B. 1945 P 7/28/1967. Earliest seen 1969.
Same use as Permanently Mounted Equipment but issued to farmers.
No legend, "FM" suffix all years.
1969 1990 FM 1973 1977 2323 FM
1970 465 FM 1974 1978-79
1971 1975 194 FM
1972 2212 FM 1976 1853 FM
FARM TRAILER
First listed in state wheel book microfilm index 1940.
Listed 1941 as TAG 1 - TAG 12.
Not on 1947 chart. Reported 1950. Earliest seen 1953.
Discontinued 1959-68; issued Farm plates. Re-began 1969.
Issued to Farm Trailers hauling up to 10,000 lbs. 1972-79.
(Unknown what difference is between this and V/D/C series.)
LEGENDS: "ILLINOIS 53" top, "FARM" bottom, vertical "TRAILER" left 1953, 1955, 1957,
"FARM" top, "ILLINOIS 54" bottom, vertical "TRAILER" left 1954, 1956,
"FARM" top, "19 ILLINOIS 58" bottom, vertical "TRAILER" left 1958,
no legend 1969-79. Short size 1956-57.
1953 2
1954 1 1969 28 141 F/T 1974 21 759 F/T
1955 1 1970 1 F/T 1975 5860 F/T
1956 1 1971 1 F/T 1976 282 F/T
1957 1 1972 11 804 F/T 1977 25 468 F/T
1958 2 1973 9451 F/T 1978-79 1 F/T
S.B. 194 P by 7/2/1971, E 7/1/1972, for new Farm Trailer plate series.
Weight classes same as Trailer.
V/D/C V/D/D V/D/F V/D/L
JUN 73
JUN 74
JUN 75
JUN 76 488
JUN 77 180
JUN 78 202 542
JUN 79 1149
JUN 80 1 568 241 1
FERTILIZER SPREADER
Earliest seen 1980, Green/White, "FERT. SPREADER" below smaller
numbers, #1309.
FLAT TAX
Earliest seen 1936. Last seen 1942.
1936: Small size, "FLAT TAX" top, "ILLINOIS-1936" bottom, #G 1424.
1937: Small size, "ILLINOIS-1937" top, "FLAT TAX" bottom, #B-63.
1941: "ILLINOIS 1941" top, "FLAT TAX" bottom, small numbers, #XX 47.
1942: "FLAT TAX" top, "ILLINOIS 1942" bottom, small numbers, #D 1.
40/8 VOITURE
Earliest seen 1937. Last seen 1956.
Discontinued by 1972, when Ceremonial was being issued.
Number indicates Chapter ("Voiture") number.
1937: Large "VOITURE" top, "37/ILL" right, #189.
1938: Arched "VOITURE" top, "40/8" left, small numbers, #189.
1941: Same format as 1938, #812, #985.
1948: Fiberboard, arched "VOITURE NO.812" top, "ILLINOIS 1948" bottom, large seal center.
1956: Red and Dark Blue/White, arched "VOITURE 189" screened top,
"40/8" screened center, "19 ILLINOIS 56" embossed bottom.
1963: Blue and Red/White, arched "VOITURE 818" screened top, otherwise same as 1956.
FUNERAL HOME
Earliest seen 1972.
LEGENDS: No legend, vertical "FH" left 1972-80.
1972 F/H 2888 1975 F/H 2871 1978 F/H 2967
1973 F/H 1020 1976 F/H 2968 1979 F/H 2967
1974 F/H 3519 1977 F/H 2967 1980 F/H 2106
HANDICAPPED
P.A. 78-321 P 8/15/1973. Began 1974.
LEGENDS: No legend, wheelchair prefix all years.
1974 805 1977 3055
1975 4093 1978 3055
1976 985 1979 5287
HISTORIC AUTOMOBILE
Began 1949. 1949 #13 has 4-leaf clover and horseshoe.
Technically, this type is a series of Special Event plates issued
for the antique car meet at the Illinois State Fair each summer.
Discontinued 1968 after Antique Vehicle plates issued.
LEGENDS: "HORSELESS CARRIAGE" 1949, "ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE" 1950,
"HISTORIC AUTOMOBILE 1952-67 except "ANTIQUE AUTO" 1955.
COLORS: Listed in JUN-85 ALPCA, p.92. 1950-51: See Hartung.
1952: Dark Blue/Orange 1 - 172, Red & Dark Blue/White 219 - 251.
1949 65 1954 358 1959 189 1964 196
1950 93 1955 393 1960 247 1965 249
1950-51 234 1956 393 1961 250 1966 299
1952 251 1957 250 1962 280 1967 236
1953 375 1958 298 1963 180
HOUSE/SENATE
From 1/1/1932 to 1941 (repealed 7/28/1941), elected state
officials were issued cast bronze "star" attachments in pairs
bearing the office and/or district number. H.B. 895 P 7/28/1941
for actual plates, superceding the stars. Began 1941.
Until 1980, the Illinois Legislature had 59 districts each with 1
senator and 3 representatives = 177 House, 59 Senate. Since
1980, the Legislature has had 59 Senate districts and 118 House
districts each with 1 representative = 118 House, 59 Senate.
In 1964, representatives were elected at large, not by district.
1941-57: "Official" plates issued with District number 1 - 59
followed by small number suffix "1" for Senator or "2",
"3" or "4" for Representative, in order of seniority;
total = 236. Fiberboard 1946-48.
(Verify 1943-45, 1949-50)
1958-79: Plates marked "HOUSE" and "SENATE" began 1958, although
not provided for by law until H.B. 76 P 4/24/1959.
Senate numbers 1 - 59 seen 1958-60, 1965, 1967-78.
House numbers 1 - 59 with suffixes "1", "2" or "3" seen
1959-64, 1967, 1969, straight numerics 1 - 177 used
1965-66, 1968, 1970-79.
Dashes flanking number denote 2nd car 1969-79.
(Verify House 1958, Senate 1961-64, 1966, 1979)
LEGENDS:
1941: "OFFICIAL" arched top, "ILLINOIS 1941" bottom.
1942: "OFFICIAL/GEN. ASSEMBLY" top, "ILLINOIS 1942" bottom,
vertical "DIST." left, vertical "SENATE" right.
1946: "OFFICIAL" top, "ILLINOIS 46" bottom.
1947, 1951, 1953: "ILLINOIS 47" top, "OFFICIAL" in reverse-color oval bottom
1948, 1952: "OFFICIAL" in reverse-color oval top, "ILLINOIS 48" bottom
1954, 1956: Slogan top, "ILLINOIS" bottom, vertical "OFFICIAL" in
debossed oval left, vertical "1954" in debossed oval right.
1955, 1957: "ILLINOIS" top, slogan bottom, vertical "OFFICIAL" in
debossed oval left, vertical "1957" in debossed oval right.
1958: Slogan top, "ILLINOIS" bottom, vertical "HOUSE" or
"SENATE" left, vertical "1958" right.
1959: "ILLINOIS" top, slogan bottom, vertical "HOUSE" or
"SENATE" left, vertical "1959" right.
("OFFICIAL" restored 7/1/1959)
1960-75: Vertical "OFFICIAL" in debossed oval left, vertical
"HOUSE" or "SENATE" right (embossed 1960-66,
1967 Senate, 1968-75, screened 1967 House).
1976: Vertical "OFFICIAL" in blue box left, vertical "HOUSE" or
"SENATE" in blue box right.
1977-80: Same as 1966-75; 1979 plate dated "79 80".
HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER
Earliest seen 1976.
LEGENDS: "HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER" center in lieu of serial number 1976-79.
HOUSE MINORITY LEADER
Earliest seen 1977.
LEGENDS: "HOUSE MINORITY LEADER" center in lieu of serial number 1977, 1979.
IN TRANSIT
S.B. 521 P 7/13/1939, E 1/1/1940. Began 1940.
Taller plate than passenger 1941-53. Pairs 1964.
Numbers aligned with Dealer numbers 1940-41. Master plate pair
has no number or letter suffix. Additional plate pairs have
small number suffix 1940-58, letter suffix 1959-79.
LEGENDS: "ILLINOIS 1941" top, "IN TRANSIT" bottom 1941, 1947,
"IN TRANSIT" top, "ILLINOIS 48" bottom 1948,
"ILLINOIS 53" top, "IN TRANSIT" bottom 1953,
"19 ILLINOIS 55" top, "IN TRANSIT" bottom 1955, 1957,
"IN TRANSIT" top, "19 ILLINOIS 56" bottom 1956, 1958,
no legend, vertical "IT" left 1959-79.
COLORS: Passenger colors 1940-41, 1959-79,
reverse colors 1947-48, 1953, 1955-58.
1940 931-2 1962 I/T 9018
1941 931-2, 2719-6 1963 I/T 9131 E
1947 6000 239, [6001 150] 1964 I/T 9092 A, [I/T 9099 A]
1948 6001 24 1965 I/T 9033 C
1953 6000 107 1969 I/T 9032 AE
1955 6029 7 1970 I/T 9032 V, 9035 BJ
1956 6004 26 1976 I/T 9047
1957 5330 26 1977 I/T 9029 AQ, 9044 GQ
1958 9001 5, 9108 5 1978 I/T 9008 EE, 9028 J
1959 [I/T 9015 A] 1979 I/T 9010 D, 9030
LIMOUSINE
Earliest seen 1975.
Reportedly manufactured but never issued, yet 1976 looks used.
LEGENDS: Vertical "LIMO" left 1975-76.
1975 1047
1976 1030
LIVERY (See Taxi)
Number series listed 1942-43 in state wheel book microfilm index,
but not mentioned as being Livery rather than Taxi.
Reported 1945 with vertical "LIVERY" after "0".
Earliest seen 1947. Also issued to rental cars as of 1964.
LEGENDS: Vertical "LIVERY" left, "REAR" bottom 1947,
no legend 1948-71, vertical "LIVERY" left 1972-80.
LOCAL BUS
Reported in 1951 (Southern Illinoisan, Carbondale, 8/11/1951).
Earliest seen 1953. Issued to city buses.
Probably discontinued 1959; replaced by Municipal Bus.
1951-54 weight classes and fees: 12,001 - 14,000 lbs. $50,
14,001 - 16,000 lbs. $75, 16,001 - 20,000 lbs. $110,
20,001 - 24,000 lbs. $150, 24,001 - 36,000 lbs. $200.
1957: Fees range from $90 to $640 for same 5 weight classes.
1953: Vertical "FRONT", vertical "BUS" and vertical "14000"
left, "ILL 53" top, "LOCAL" bottom, #1394.
MANUFACTURER
Earliest seen 1948. May have begun 1948, as not on 1947 chart.
Only 51 Tuckers were built in 1948, but #1 93 seen.
Taller plate than passenger 1948-49, 1955. Steel 1948.
Master plate has no suffix number or letter. Additional plates
have small number suffix 1948-49, letter suffix 1959-79.
LEGENDS: "MANUFACTURER" top, "ILLINOIS 48" bottom 1948,
"ILLINOIS 49" top, "MANUFACTURER" bottom 1949, 1955,
vertical "MFR" left, "M" prefix 1959,
vertical "MFR" left 1967-79.
COLORS: Reverse colors 1948-49, 1955, passenger colors 1959-79.
1948 1 93 1970 1C, F, L, 2 AH
1949 1 42 1971 2, 15 GC
1955 2 1972 2 C
1959 [M 1 A] 1974 19 H, 38 C
1964 [8, 8 A] 1975 10 U, 28 BV, BW, CE
1966 12 AF 1976 25 K, 28 R, AE, BW, 36 D, E, J
1967 1 E 1977 28 Z, BM
1968 1 F, 16 1978 15 DN, JE, 17 B, 28 CM
1969 1 H, 2 C, X, 5 W 1979 8 W, 50
MILEAGE TAX TRAILER
First listed 1937 in state wheel book microfilm (TT 1 - TT 36, TT 501 - TT 602).
Listed 1941 as TT 1 - TT 1230, TT 3715.
Earliest seen 1947 chart.
JUN 1980 weight classes: 10000, 14000, 20000, 36000.
LEGENDS: "SEMI-TRAILER" bottom 1947,
vertical "SEMITR" left, "ILLINOIS 48" bottom 1948, 1950,
vertical "SEMITR" left 1951,
vertical "TRAILER" left, followed by vertical "TT" and vertical "20000" (etc.) 1959,
vertical "TRAILER" left, followed by "T" and vertical "12000" (etc.) 1968,
no "TRAILER", vertical "10000" (etc.) before vertical "TM" right JUN 1973,
vertical "TRAILER" left, vertical "10000" (etc.) before
vertical "TM" right JUN 1976, JUN 1979-80.
COLORS: Reverse colors 1947-48, 1950-51,
Mileage Tax Truck colors 1959-JUN 1980.
1947 [T/T 20 001] JUN 73 36000 284 T/M
1948 T/T 40 695 JUN 76 20000 321 T/M
1950 T/T 41 847 JUN 79 14000 153 - 223 T/M
1951 T/T 41 803 20000 817 T/M
1959 36000 T/T 2402 36000 644 - 650 T/M
1968 12000 T 77
MILEAGE TAX TRUCK
S.B. 601 P 7/9/1935, E 1/1/1936. Began 1936. Issued to trucks
electing to pay mileage tax instead of flat rate fee. Same
weight classes as Truck all years except A omitted by 1946, B
omitted by 1980. Probably no Yellow 1952 plate issued.
1936 custom number T 5555 also issued.
Steel 1943-44, 1948, fiberboard 1945-47.
1949 has 1938-42 dies. (Verify 1969)
LEGENDS
1936-44: Truck design but with small "T" above weight tab.
1945: Full size "T" prefix.
1946: "FRONT" or "REAR" top, "ILLINOIS 46" bottom, small "T"
over weight class number left, followed by vertical "TRUCK".
1947: "ILLINOIS 47" top, "FRONT" or "REAR" bottom, vertical
"TRUCK" left, followed by small "T" over weight class number.
1948-52: Vertical "FRONT" or "REAR" left, small "T" over "16000" (etc.) prefix.
1953: Vertical "FRONT" or "REAR" left, followed by vertical "16000" (etc.).
1954-58: Vertical "FRONT" or "REAR" left, followed by vertical "T" over
truck weight class letter, followed by vertical "16000" (etc.).
"19 ILLINOIS 54" bottom 1954, 1956, 1958, top 1955, 1957.
1959-60: Vertical "T/C" (etc.) left.
1961-68: Full size "TC" (etc.) prefix (same as passenger except colors).
1969-79: Full size "MC" (etc.) suffix.
1980: Small size "MC" (etc.) suffix.
COLORS (Fully Reflective 1966-on)
1936-53 Passenger colors 1967 Dark Blue/Orange
1954 Red/White 1968 Black/Yellow
1955 White/Red 1969?
1956 Black/Light Yellow 1969/70 Black/Blue
1957 Blue/White 1970/71 Black/White
1958 White/Dark Green JUN 72 Orange/Blue
1959 "Red/Belmont Buff" JUN 73 Black/Yellow
1960 White/Dark Green JUN 74 Red/Tan
1961 Yellow/Black JUN 75 Orange/Blue
1962 Red/Yellow JUN 76 Orange/Green
1963 Yellow/Dark Brown JUN 77 Black/Blue
1964 White/Black JUN 78 Black/Yellow
1965 White/Blue JUN 79 Black/Tan
1966 Black/White JUN 80 Brown/White
NUMBERING
1936-45: Numbers assumed to have begun at T 1.
1946-60: Number blocks progressed higher with each heavier weight class.
1961-68: Numbers probably began at 1 in each class.
Unusual spacing on TH series reflects H1, H2, H3 or H4 class.
1969-80: Numbers began at 1 in each class.
1936 T 5077 1940 T 11 135 1944 T 13 124
1937 T-8933 1941 T 15 184 1945 T 12 620
1938 T 10 221 1942 T 9526
1939 T 6679 1943 T 6838
8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 20000 24000 28000 32000 41000 45000 50000 59000 72000
1946 6735
6782
1947 [50] 2183
2523
1948 4156 9818
1949 2365 4005 11350 13833
2610 4379 11360 14207
1950 2072 4082 7176 13920 20668
4927
1951 2018 5502 11116 16273 24982
6513 25179
1952 3083 5816 10326 18887 25277
4104 7039
1953 H1090
H9146
T/B T/C T/D T/E T/F T/G T/H T/H2 T/H3 T/H4 T/X T/K T/L T/N T/P
1954 4047 10112 15880 27588
20391
1955 3110 5011 15146 52047 62158 65020 70077
4055 20457 52960
1956 3129 6075 15632 40017 52309
4071 10124 17016 53229
1957 3058 6967 16745 25517 70214
4121 17360 27665
1958 5806 15213 30190 62103
6410 17389
0880
1959 3037 5176 16839 25947
3177 10027 32120
1960 571 3002 6365 16208
3135 18046
TB TC TD TE TF TG TH1 TH2 TH3 TH4 TX TK TL TN1 TN2 TP
1961 120 1428 4804 302 3 306 2034 122 ------
1962 417 2568 5409 4 353 1904 107 ------
1963 297 2202 4440 1469 1915 ------
1964 346 140 2150 4648 6331 773
1965 110 933 672 6148 5101 466 298 120 705
1966 502 360 3014 4778 8506 2031
1967 504 249 290 6385 4363 1962
1968 276 316 334 6352 1 2447 4 9231 868
MB MC MD ME MF MG MH MJ MK ML MN MP MR MS MT MV
1969?
1969/70 260 1430 4877 3888 553
1970/71 184 1230 7447 6503
JUN 72 253 1136 2917 7809
JUN 73 281 682 1657 897 467
JUN 74 1345 331 1569 582
JUN 75 2197 1146 1085 740 326
JUN 76 212 2429 1810 2047 219 330 1009 1126 662
JUN 77 192 1428 3141 606 186 732 1118
JUN 78 193 1801 914 983 223 521 512
JUN 79 350 500 690 2340 552 3250 490 750 790 2550 300
JUN 80 ---- 103 391 653 945 118 909 1788 214 264 2043
MILEAGE TAX TRUCK TRACTOR
May have begun 1969. Reported 1969/70. Earliest seen 1970/71.
LEGENDS: No legend, small "T" before full-size suffix 1970/71,
JUN 1972, JUN 1976-79, or mid-size suffix JUN 1980.
COLORS: Colors same as Mileage Tax Truck 1970/71, JUN 1972, JUN 1976-80.
JUN 1980 weight classes: H,J,K,L,N,P,R,S,T,V.
1970/71 799 T MS
JUN 72 2239 T MT
JUN 76 712 T ML, 1935 T MN, 662 T MV
JUN 77 1806 T MP, 679 T MV
JUN 78 510 T MS, 497 T MV
JUN 79 1331 T MN, 617 T MV
JUN 80 992 T MV
MOTORCYCLE (See Motorcycle page)
H.B. 593 P 6/10/1911.
MOTORCYCLE DEALER
Began 1959. Green/White 1980. Master plate has no letter.
Additonal plates have letter suffix:
A 1961, B 1967, C 1973, D 1969, E 1971, F 1978, G 1980, H 1975.
LEGENDS: No legend, vertical "DL" prefix all years.
1959 [205] 1965 347 1971 297 1977 485
1960 149 1966 403 1972 297 1978 863
1961 149 1967 417 1973 494 1979 780
1962 149 1968 377 1974 392 1980 620
1963 255 1969 438 1975 530
1964 268 1970 345 1976 556
MUNICIPAL BUS
Law P 6/24/1957. Probably began 1959. Earliest seen 1959 chart.
Previously issued Local Bus plates. Issued to buses operated
solely within a municipality or contiguous municipalities, but
not necessarily owned by same.
Chicago Tribune, 11/25/1958:
"Judge Creel Douglass of Sangamon county Circuit court at
Springfield ruled [yesterday] that 11 bus companies...may operate
their buses with $2 a year license plates instead of inter-city
bus plates costing an average of about $256. This reversed his
decision of last September...The ruling affects 475 buses...The
legislature in 1957 authorized bus companies operating in one
municipality and contiguous areas to use the $2 plates, but the
secretary of state had ruled that the 11 companies did not qualify."
LEGENDS: No legend, vertical "BM" prefix 1959,
horizontal full-size "BM" prefix 1964-68 (identical to passenger),
horizontal full-size "BM" suffix 1969-79.
1959 [B/M 1501] 1966 1973 2014 BM
1960 1967 BM 2428 1974
1961 1968 BM 1677 1975 1076 BM
1962 1969 2268 BM 1976
1963 1970 1843 BM 1977 2727 BM
1964 BM 5428 1971 1370 BM 1978-79 2025 BM
1965 BM 2541 1972 2329 BM
OFFICIAL
Began 1937. Earliest seen 1940.
(1941-57 plates with a smaller number suffix are House/Senate.)
Issued to 7 to 9 state officials, as follows:
1 - GOVERNOR (1937-79)
2 - LT. GOVERNOR (1937-74), LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR (1975-79)
3 - SECRETARY OF STATE (1937-71), ATTORNEY GENERAL (1974-79)
4 - AUDITOR PUBLIC ACCT. (1937-72), SECRETARY OF STATE (1974-79)
5 - STATE TREASURER (1937-72), COMPTROLLER (1973-80)
6 - SUPT. OF PUBLIC INST. (1937-72), STATE TREASURER (1974-80)
7 - ATTORNEY GENERAL (1937-72), AUDITOR GENERAL 1976-79)
8 - CLERK SUPREME COURT (By 1957-75, dropped by 1979)
9 - AUDITOR GENERAL (1974)
LEGENDS: Arched "OFFICIAL" top, taller plate 1940-42,
Arched "OFFICIAL" top, smaller "ILLINOIS 43" bottom 1943-46,
"ILLINOIS 47" top, "OFFICIAL" in reversed oval bottom 1947,
"OFFICIAL" in reversed oval top, "ILLINOIS 48" bottom 1948,
"OFFICIAL" in debossed oval top, "ILLINOIS 49" bottom 1949, 1952,
"ILLINOIS 51" top, "OFFICIAL" in debossed oval bottom 1951,
vertical "OFFICIAL" in debossed oval left, "1955" in debossed oval right 1955-69,
"ILLINOIS" top, slogan bottom odd years 1955-69,
legends reversed even years 1956-66,
arched name of office above small number 1970-80 (embossed 1970-78, 1980, screened 1979).
(Verify 1937-39, 1950, 1953-54)
1937 1948 1 1959 [3] 1970 3,4
1938 1949 4 1960 1971 1,2,3,4
1939 1950 1961 1 1972 5
1940 2,4 1951 4 1962 1 1973 5
1941 1 1952 4 1963 1974 2,3,4,5,6,9
1942 1 1953 1964 3 1975 1,2,3,4,5,8
1943 1 1954 1965 1976 1,2,3,4,5,7
1944 1 1955 1 1966 6 1977 3,4,7
1945 1 1956 1967 1,3,6 1978 2
1946 1 1957 1968 3 1979 1
1947 1 1958 1969 3 1980 5,6
PERMANENTLY MOUNTED EQUIPMENT
Law P 1953. Earliest seen 1954. Smaller size 1956-57.
1953 law specified "PM" if industrial or "AG" if agricultural.
AG prefix also mentioned in Belleville News 2/13/1951 as being
"for vehicles of the Agriculture Department." Also mentioned in
1952 as a $5 plate, with no second 1952 plate needed.
No "AG" seen, but used on passenger 1961-on.
As of 5/22/1955, 1,126 issued.
1961: PM 2001 - 7155 listed in state wheel book microfilm index.
LEGENDS: Vertical "FRONT" or "REAR" left, vertical "PM" prefix 1954, 1956-58,
vertical "PM" prefix 1959,
horizontal full-size "PM" prefix 1962-63 (identical to passenger),
horizontal full-size "PM" suffix JUN 72, JUN 76-78,
horizontal smaller "PM" suffix JUN 80.
1954 P/M 2222 1962 PM 5409 JUN 76 3031 PM
1956 P/M 4305 1963 PM 1424 JUN 77 3112 PM
1957 P/M 2809 1964 [PM 400] JUN 78 1603 PM
1958 P/M 5553
1959 P/M 5571 JUN 72 1664 PM JUN 80 1989 PM
PERSONALIZED
Limited began 1974 with about 800 3-letter prefixes with numbers 1 - 50,
with a few to 999, no extra fee, increased to 2,851 prefixes in 1975.
3 letters alone or with up to 3 numbers allowed 1976-79.
(In 1949, #X/X HITLER made up for Christopher Janus' 5-ton armored
Mercedes Benz limousine that once belonged to Adolf Hitler.)
(In 1973, 26 souvenir plates were given to U.S. Congressmen and
Senators, bearing their names, i.e. DOGWOOD, HELEN, MITCH, etc.
1966 #BUD and #DICK seen, as well as 1968 #LEROY, 1969 and 1970
#BUD. Possibly these are also political souvenirs.)
Full-fledged personalized plate program began 1980 with P.A.
81-987 P 9/22/1979.
PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL COMMITTEE
H.B. 1944 P 8/7/1967. May have begun 1969. Earliest seen 1973.
Only issued every four years. No serial 1973, 1977, 1981.
PRORATE AUXILIARY AXLE
May have begun 1969. Earliest seen 1972 chart. Small-size plate
issued to additional axles for trucks and truck tractors.
1972 suffixes: NS,NT,NV,PS,PT,PV,SV,TV. Discontinued 1978? (JUN 79 seen)
LEGENDS: Vertical "PR" left 1972, no legend JUN 79.
JUN 79 14 SV
PRORATE AUXILIARY AXLE TRAILER
May have begun 1969. Earliest seen 1972 chart. Small-size plate
issued to additional axles for semitrailers and trailers.
Discontinued 1978.
LEGENDS: Vertical "PR" left, vertical "ST" before "L" right 1972, 1976-77.
1976 P/R 2 S/T L
1977 P/R 11 S/T L
PRORATE SEMI TRAILER
Began 1969.
LEGENDS: Vertical "PRORATE" left, vertical "ST" right 1969-70, 1972,
vertical "PR" left, vertical "ST" 1972-79.
1969 9174 S/T 1973 P/R 1000 S/T 1977 P/R 3290 S/T
1970 1110 S/T 1974 P/R 4763 S/T 1978
1971 1975 P/R 2339 S/T 1979 P/R 219 S/T
1972 P/R 1375 S/T 1976 P/R 9324 S/T
PRORATE STICKER
Began 1960. Sticker issued to truck tractors and trailers using
backing plate of Midwest Compact only 1960-62.
Illinois joined the Uniform Prorate Compact 1963.
Ordered: 1961 50,000, 1962 75,000.
PRORATE TRAILER
Began 1969. Reported 1971. Earliest seen 1972 chart.
1972-79 weight classes: T/D, T/F, T/L.
LEGENDS: Vertical "PRORATE" left, vertical "TD", "TF" or "TL" right 1972,
same except vertical "PR" left 1979.
PRORATE TRUCK
Began 1969. Issued singly 1972.
1972-79 weight classes: E,F,G,H,J,K,L,N,P,R.
LEGENDS: Vertical "PRORATE" left 1969-72,
vertical "PR" left 1973-79.
1969 52 075F
1970 52 455F
1971 50 507E, 52 359F - 53 449F
1972
1973 53 274F
1974 53 093F, 60 059H
1975 68 036K
1976 50 231E - 50 240E, 53 123F, 56 494G, 64 111J, 70 436L
1977 52 212F
1978
1979
PRORATE TRUCK TRACTOR
Began 1969. Issued singly 1972.
1972-79 weight classes: E,F,G,H,J,K,L,N,P,R,S,T,V.
LEGENDS: Vertical "PRORATE" left, small "T" in UR corner 1969-70,
vertical "PR" left, small "T" in UR corner 1972-79.
1969 93 832V
1970 91 094V
1971
1972 90 771V
1973 82 927S
1974 83 701S
1975 71 038L - 71 060L, 82 079S, 90 376V
1976 71 216L - 71 236L, 74 072N, 82 599S, 90 542V - 93 327V
1977
1978 90 174V
1979 71 010L
PRORATE TRUCK TRACTOR DOUBLE BOTTOM
May have begun 1969. Earliest seen 1972 chart.
Issued to tractor-semitrailer towing a trailer or semitrailer.
LEGENDS: Vertical "PRORATE" left, small "T" in UR corner, "V"
followed by vertical "DB" suffix 1972, same except
vertical "PR" left 1979.
PUBLIC OWNED
Earliest seen 1932. Issued to vehicles owned by the state, a
county, municipality or township 1932-60; county, municipality
or township only 1961-78. Although marked "TRUCK" or "TR"
1934-36, they were probably issued to all types of vehicles.
In 1930, they were issued "X" prefix, along with all trucks over
20,000 lbs., and in 1932-33, they used an "H" prefix.
Rock Island Argus, 1/14/1930: "In connection with the X plates,
all state-owned trucks have been issued license numbers with the
prefix X on them."
Roberts Herald, 11/18/1931: "Trucks owned by the state, townships,
villages, etc., will bear letter H and cost $2.00."
The (Streator) Times, 12/5/1932: "Truck licenses for 1933 will be
letter [sic] from "A" to "G." The letter "X" will be used on
license plates issued to trucks of more than 24,000 pounds, while
those issued to state, cities, towns, incorporated villages or
townships will carry the letter "H.""
Steel 1943-44, 1946, 1948, fiberboard 1945, 1947.
1946 #M11131 on M9999 size.
1956-57 in old sizes.
Highest number issued from state wheel book microfilm index:
1932 H 4921, 1941 M 9999, 1943 M11 000, 1961 M38 047.
LEGENDS: No legend, "H" prefix 1932-33,
vertical "TRUCK" left 1934, "TR" over "M" left 1935,
vertical "TRUCK" suffix 1936,
no legend, "M" prefix 1938-76. (Verify 1937)
1932 H 2766
1933 H 1854
1934 637M 1949 M 11 876 1964 M30 551
1935 M 5-848 1950 M 13 820 1965 M32 419
1936 M 6176 1951 M 15 833 1966 M33 421
1937 1952 M 17 136 1967 M34 770
1938 M4024 1953 M 19 529 1968 M35 881
1939 M5924 1954 M 23 087 1969 M40 070
1940 M9112 1955 M 21 710 1970 M41 124
1941 M7293 1956 M 11326 1971 M 43 503
1942 M11 364 1957 M 27 000 1972 M 46 049
1943 M 3082 1958 M 22566 1973 M 48 071
1944 M 11 689 1959 M 32187 1974 M 47 749
1945 M 10 157 1960 M14 698 1975 M 42 769
1946 M11131 1961 M15 380 1976 M 47 027
1947 M 12 274 1962 M28 646 1977 M 37 589
1948 M12 417 1963 M30 352 1978-79 M 47 788
PUBLIC OWNED HANDICAPPED
Reportedly began 1978. Earliest seen 1978-79 #M 761.
LEGENDS: No legend, "M" prefix, wheelchair suffix 1978-79.
PUBLIC OWNED TRAILER
First listed 1936 in state wheel book microfilm (MT 1 - MT 219, MT 251),
and 1937 (MT 1 - MT 208). Listed 1941 as MT 1 - MT 488.
Earliest seen 1947 chart. MT prefix became Passenger 1961, however,
1961 #MT 9001 - 9430 listed in state wheel book microfilm index.
Unknown if "T" in corner (seen 1976) started 1961 or sometime later.
LEGENDS: "ILLINOIS 47" top, vertical "TRAILER" left 1947,
vertical "TRAILER" left 1953, 1958,
no legend 1959-60,
no legend, "M" prefix, "T" in UR corner 1976-79 (reported 1974).
COLORS: Reverse colors 1947, Passenger colors 1953-55, 1958-60, 1976-78.
1947 [M/T 600] 1958 M/T 399 1976 M 19 259 - M 19 824
1953 M/T 1 1959 [M/T 687] 1977 M 19 228 - M 19 254,
1954 M/T 1 1960 M/T 304 M 43 202 -
1955 M/T 5 1978-79 M 18 607 -
RECREATIONAL CAMPER
Reportedly began JUN 1974. Earliest seen 1978.
LEGENDS: Vertical "CAMPER" left, vertical "RC" right 1978-79.
1978 4614 R/C
1979 2005 R/C
RECREATIONAL TRAILER
P.A. 77-720 P 8/12/1971, E 7/1/1972. Earliest seen JUN 1974.
LEGENDS: Vertical "TRAILER" left, vertical "RV" right JUN 74,
vertical "TRAILER" left, vertical "RT" right JUN 75 - 1979.
COLORS: Black/White DEC 1975.
JUN 73? 1976 79 352 R/T
JUN 74 49 741 R/V 1977 81 859 R/T
JUN 75 54 675 R/T 1978 99 187 R/T
DEC 75 62 791 R/T 1979 102 181 R/T
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE
H.B. 2637 P 8/21/1968, E 1/1/1969. Began 1969.
LEGENDS: No legend, vertical "RV" right all years.
COLORS: Black/White DEC 1975.
1969 2662 R/V JUN 75 62 403 R/V
1969/70 2567 R/V DEC 75 59 791 R/V
1970/71 16 729 R/V 1976 95 301 R/V
JUN 72 27 339 R/V 1977 112 122 R/V
JUN 73 67 120 R/V 1978 121 460 R/V
JUN 74 48 948 R/V 1979 129 066 R/V
REPOSSESSOR
S.B. 657 P 8/2/1965. Reportedly began 1966. Earliest seen 1967.
LEGENDS: "REPOSSESSOR" below small number 1967-80
(screened 1967-69, embossed 1970-80).
1967 376 1971 294 1975 455 1979 747
1968 398 1972 365 1976 476 1980 668
1969 497 1973 294 1977 531
1970 253 1974 461 1978 578
SAMPLE
Earliest seen 1925. 1926 is #500-000. (Verify 1943)
1943 Passenger #515 304 seen with "CANCELLED" overprinted in black.
1976 #USA 200 has vertical "COLLECTOR" screened left and right; this
was a special edition sold for $3 with at least 15,000 produced.
1925, 1927-37 000-000 1975 Cardboard MJH ---
1938-42, 1944-65 000 000 1976 Cardboard MJH ---
1966 000 000, PP 0000 Steel USA 200
1967-70 PP 0000 Steel SAMPLE
1971 PP 0000, JL 0000 1977 Steel SAM-PLE
1972 JL ---- 1978 Cardboard AJH ---
1973 JL ----, MH ---- Steel ILL ---
1974 MH ----, MJH --- 1979 Aluminum ILL ---, IL 1979
SCHOOL BUS
S.B. 135 P 5/2/1963. Earliest seen 1967.
Issued to private-owned school buses.
LEGENDS: Vertical "SCHOOL" left, vertical "BUS" right all years.
Wide dies 1 - 9999, thin dies 10 000+.
1967 5167 1971 7598 1975 19407
1968 5292 1972 8762 1976 19407
1969 4638 1973 8264 1977 15694
1970 4796 1974 10201 1978-79 16921
SECRETARY OF STATE INVESTIGATOR
Reportedly began 1972. Earliest seen 1972-73.
Number prefix indicates district.
LEGENDS: "SECRETARY OF STATE" above small numbers,
"INVESTIGATOR" below same small numbers 1972-79.
COLORS: Red/White, long slots except UR hole 1972-73.
1972-73 J1-13, JX-98
1974-75 JX-47
1976-77 J2-22
1978-79 J-8, J1-85, J2-18, J3-3, J4-44, J5-28
SEMI TRAILER
Earliest seen 1947. Steel 1948. 1949 has 1938-42 dies.
No second 1952 plate issued.
Highest number issued from state wheel book microfilm index:
1957 S/T 83 101, 1959 S/T 79 864, 1961 ST81811, 1962 ST90525.
LEGENDS: "SEMI TRAILER" bottom 1947,
vertical "SEMI TR" left 1948-58,
no legend 1959 - JUN 80. 1968 has no "18 18".
COLORS: Reverse colors 1947-58, Passenger colors 1959-69,
Truck colors 1969/70 - JUN 80.
1947 [S/T 50 179]- 54 759 1964 [ST10 039]- 44 490
1948 S/T 50 781 - 69 200 1965 ST37 615 - 54 123
1949 S/T 53 371 - 1966 S/T 105 250 -
1950 S/T 51 418 - 57 811 1967 S/T 8402 - 107 811
1951 S/T 50 030 - 1968 S/T 19 866 - 116 447
1952 S/T 33 756 - 1969 14 373 S/T - 66 677 S/T
1953 S/T 30 916 - 30 918 1969/70 19 866 S/T - 94 926 S/T
1954 S/T 30 781 - 1970/71 9158 S/T - 50 448 S/T
1955 S/T 36 043 - 38 539 JUN 72 10 328 S/T - 18 679 S/T
1956 S/T 30 026 - 63 959 JUN 73 10 328 S/T - 70 349 S/T
1957 S/T 30 001 - 71 400 JUN 74 11 S/T - 54 162 S/T
1958 S/T 35 439 - 58 477 JUN 75 42 411 S/T - 104 820 S/T
1959 S/T 30 001 - 59844 JUN 76 5804 S/T - 98 582 S/T
1960 S/T 30 001 - 91 350 JUN 77 27 S/T - 100 190 S/T
1961 ST20 001 - 35 087 JUN 78 22 483 S/T - 92 819 S/T
1962 ST20 001 - 53 994 JUN 79 19 176 S/T - 95 961 S/T
1963 ST29 032 - 55 618 JUN 80 20 668 S/T - 99 227 S/T
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER
Earliest seen 1977.
LEGENDS: "SENATE MAJORITY LEADER" center in lieu of serial number 1977, 1979.
SENATE MINORITY LEADER
Earliest seen 1977.
LEGENDS: "SENATE MINORITY LEADER" center in lieu of serial number 1977, 1979.
SENATE PRESIDENT
Earliest seen 1972 chart.
LEGENDS: "PRES. PRO TEMPORE/STATE SENATE" center in lieu of serial number 1972,
"PRESIDENT/STATE SENATE" center in lieu of serial number 1975, 1977, 1979.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
Earliest seen 1972 chart.
LEGENDS: "SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE" center in lieu of serial number 1972-79.
SPECIAL EVENT
Earliest seen 1948. Program grew substantially under SOS Charles
F. Carpentier, in office 1953-64. Issues listed only through 1965,
plus the 1968 Democratic Convention plate.
1948: "CHICAGO RAILROAD FAIR" arched top, #1.
1949: Passenger design, #X/X HITLER issued to the automobile
formerly owned by the German dictator, now owned by Chicago
businessman Christopher G. Janus.
1952: Vertical "CHICAGO" screened left, vertical "1952" screened
right, "OFFICIAL" in debossed oval top, "NATIONAL CONVENTION"
screened bottom, Red and Dark Blue/White, #268.
1954: American Legion. "OFFICIAL" in debossed oval above slogan
top, "19 ILLINOIS 54" bottom, full-color shields left and
right, Red/White, #67.
1954: Centennial Flora, Ill. (also Odell, Ill.).
"CENTENNIAL/- COURTESY OF -" top, "CHARLES F. CARPENTIER"
center, "SECRETARY of STATE/1854 ODELL, ILL. 1954" bottom,
White/Dark Green, flat, no serial.
1955: American Legion. Same as 1954 but Black/White, #10.
1955: "CENTENNIAL/-COURTESY OF-/CHARLES F. CARPENTIER/
SECRETARY of STATE/ILLINOIS 1955".
1955: Dept. of Ill., VFW shield center, no serial.
1955: Imperial Council Session (Shriners) #101. (200 P issued)
1956: American Legion. Same as 1954, #62.
1956: Centennial, same as 1954 but "ILLINOIS 1956" bottom.
1956: Chicago I.A.C.P. (Police) 63rd Conference, no serial.
1956: Chicago National Convention #77, same design/colors as 1952.
1956: Medinah (Shriners) M/C #20.
1957: American Legion. Same as 1954, #91.
1958: American Legion. Same as 1954, #64.
1958: American Legion National Convention #130.
1958: Don Chamberlain Day #1.
1958: Imperial Council Session (Shriners) #187.
1959: Elks National Convention #83.
1959: Pan American Games #86.
1960: GOP National Convention #348, no state name.
1960: A.A.O.N.M.S. Great Lakes Shrine Session #86.
1960: Institute of Traffic Engineers 30th Annual Meeting #34.
1963: 89th Shrine Imperial Council #250 (July).
1963: National Association Secretaries State Convention #53.
1963: 60th Western Open, Beverly C.C., #25.
1965: 62nd Western Open, Tam O'Shanter, #72.
1968: Democratic National Convention #392.
STATE CIVIL DEFENSE
Only seen 1951, "STATE CIVIL DEFENSE" screened top,
"ILLINOIS 51" bottom, White/Maroon, #1 - 9.
STATE OWNED
Began 1961. Previously issued Public Owned plates.
LEGENDS: No legend, "U" prefix all years.
1961 U 9851 1966 U 9050 1974-75 U 11 405
1962 U10 765 1967 U 9106 1976-77 U 8793
1963 U11 760 1968-69 U 6395 1978-79 U 11 827
1964 U11 739 1970-71 U9 686
1965 U 9383 1972-73 U11 198
STATE OWNED HANDICAPPED
Reportedly began 1978. Earliest seen 1978-79 #U 95.
LEGENDS: No legend, "U" prefix, wheelchair suffix 1978-79.
STATE OWNED IN TRANSIT
Earliest seen 1976-77.
LEGENDS: Arched "STATE OF ILLINOIS" above small number,
"IN-TRANSIT" below same small number 1976-79.
1976-77 1
1978-79 22
STATE POLICE
Began 1968. Biennial plates issued 1968-69 - 1978-79.
LEGENDS: Vertical "STATE" left, vertical "POLICE" right all years.
COLORS: Brown/White all years.
22 districts; #10 assigned "X" instead.
25 = Tactical Response Team, added 1970-71.
Other letters = Special departments as follows:
A - Administration (1972-79), B - Quartermaster Equipment,
D - District Command Personnel, E - Executive Security (1976-77),
O - Air Operations (1976-77), R - Radio/Communications,
S - Safety Officers for Information/Education (1976-77),
T - Training Academy, V - Vehicle Theft Investigators (1978-79).
FORMATS: 1968-69 1, 1-1 - 22-99, X-1 - X-99
1970-71 added 11-100 - 22-199, 25-50
1976-77 added 14, 25-100 - 25-105
1978-79 added 15, 1-100 - 9-199
SUPREME COURT
Reportedly began 1967. Earliest seen 1967.
Numbers 1 - 7 issued to the 7 Supreme Court Justices.
Number 8 issued to Clerk Supreme Court.
LEGENDS: "SUPREME COURT" in arch flanking full-size number 1967,
"SUPREME COURT" screened in arch above small number 1968,
"SUPREME COURT" embossed below small number 1970, 1975.
"CLERK SUPREME COURT" arched above small "8" 1975.
TAXI
Reported 1941. Listed 1942. First listed in state wheel book microfilm
index 1942 as 02361 - 03516, 022053 - 026300, plus custom 031155.
Listed 1943 as 02001 - 03543, 020001 - 026293, plus custom 09120.
Earliest seen 1945. Steel 1945-46, fiberboard 1947-48. Green/White 1980.
Reportedly began at 020 000 after Livery introduced, by 1947.
LEGENDS: No legend 1945-46, 1948-69, 1971,
vertical "TAXI" left 1947, 1972-80. "FRONT" or "REAR" 1946-58.
LIVERY TAXI
1941?
1942
1943
1944
1945 02 291 - 03 342
1946 0 2041 - 0 2459
1947 05 054 - [025 011]- 030 046
1948 02041 - 04101
1949 02060 - 04109
1950 0 3580 -
1951 0 4078 -
1952 03566 - 03579
1953 03579 - 04192 023 474 -
1954 02277 - 04090
1955 03288 - 04508
1956 03661 -
1957 03288 - 03821
1958 02 139 - 02 365
1959 02 360 -[05 201] [025 502]-
1960 02 201 - 03 407
1961 02 900 - 02 901
1962
1963 02 900 - 03 755
1964 02 094 -[05 299] [026 549]- 027 177
1965 026 521 - 026 553
1966 03 123 - 05 352 023 995 - 032 240
1967 03 640 - 021 661 - 027 172
1968 02 199 - 03 641 024 039 - 027 172
1969 03 821 - 021 688 - 021 692
1970 04 314 - 04 488 027 171 -
1971 03 821 - 03 973 025 337 - 027 172
1972 2106 - 21 778 - 25 394
1973 3546 7664
1974 3550 8821
1975 2527 9839
1976 5129 9886
1977 2666 392
1978 7373
1979 5190 9825
1980 4715 8510
TRACTOR
H.B. 474 P 6/30/1919, E 1/1/1920. Began 1920.
Vertical "TRACTOR" left 1920-23. Pairs all years.
Discontinued 1924; replaced by Truck plates.
1920 [500] (207 highest issued from state
1921 [300] wheel book microfilm index.)
1922 [300]
1923 [1000]
TRAILER (See Misc. 1 page)
H.B. 585 P 6/29/1923. Began 1924.
TRAILER DEALER
Began 1959. Master plate has no letter. Additional plates have
letter suffix: A 1965, B 1960, C 1969.
LEGENDS: Vertical "DL" left, vertical "TRAILER" right all years.
1959 [442] 1965 588 1971 908 1977 809
1960 1046 1966 425 1972 868 1978 1068
1961 1967 236 1973 1588 1979 1185
1962 1968 395 1974
1963 1018 1969 990 1975 1386
1964 [504] 1970 1976 1690
TRAILER HH
Unknown type only seen 1940, like Trailer plate but #HH 592.
TRUCK (See Truck page)
H.B. 474 P 6/30/1919, E 1/1/1920. Began 1920.
TRUCK TRACTOR
Earliest seen 1968. 1980 weight classes: G,H,J,K,L,N,P,R,S,T,V.
LEGENDS: No legend, small "T" after full-size weight class letter left 1968,
no legend, small "T" before full-size weight class letter right 1969-80.
1968 H t/4 1778, N t/1 5200
1969 3655 t K, 8579 t N, 2 t S
1969/70 3096 t P, 6519 t S, 11 466tV
1970/71
JUN 72 1844 t L, 7574 t V
JUN 73 10 057tV
JUN 74 6047 t V
JUN 75 5872 t H, 2006 t L, 719 t P, 79 t T, 19 049tV
JUN 76 5924 t H, 6806 t P, 24 576tV
JUN 77 6908 t N, 6586 t P, 5032 t S, 20 714tV
JUN 78 23 137tV
JUN 79 3628 t K, 1969 t L, 6763 t P, 182 t R, 15 262tV
JUN 80 1 t P, 1 t R, 6 t S, 17 557tV
TRUCK TRACTOR DOUBLE BOTTOM
Earliest seen 1969.
LEGENDS: No legend 1969, small "T" before "V D/B" 1978-80.
1969 67 V D/B
JUN 78 310tV D/B
JUN 79 337tV D/B
JUN 80 10tV D/B
U.S. CONGRESS
H.B. 802 P 6/26/1957. Began 1958. Earliest seen 1959.
Issued to U.S. Representatives, one per district.
Number of districts: 25 1959-62, 24 1963-82, 22 1983-92,
20 1993-2002, 19 2003-12, 18 2013-22,
17 2023-32.
Gender-specific legend began 1974; "U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN" seen 1974-77
#7, issued to Cardiss Collins, in office 6/5/1973 to 1/3/1997.
Illinois previously had U.S. Congresswomen, such as Charlotte Reid
(in office 1/3/1963 to 10/7/1971) and Marguerite Church (in office
1/3/1951 to 1/3/1963), but no special plates issued.
Flanking dashes denote 2nd car 1974-79.
LEGENDS: "U.S. CONGRESSMAN" below small number 1959-79 (screened
1959-67, embossed 1970-79).
U.S. SENATOR
Reportedly began 1969. Earliest seen 1969.
Issued to the 2 United States Senators.
Flanking dashes denote 2nd car 1975-77.
LEGENDS: Vertical "OFFICIAL" in oval left, vertical "US" suffix, vertical "SENATE" right 1969,
"U.S. SENATOR" embossed below small number 1972-77, 1979.
(Verify 1970-71, 1978)
PERMITS:
ILLINOIS COMMERCE COMMISSION
S.B. 444 P 7/7/1953, E 7/1/1954. Began 1954/55.
Small supplemental plates 1954/55 - 1958/59.
Discontinued 1959; replaced by cab decals.
SIZES: 1-4-digit, 5-digit and 6-digit sizes 1954/55 - 57/58, uniform size 1958/59.
LEGENDS: "ILL.C.C.54-55" bottom 1954/55 - 57/58,
"TRACTOR" or "TRUCK" top, "ILL CC 58-59" bottom 1958/59.
1954/55 670 - 127853 White/Dark Green
1955/56 3285 - 130701 Gold/Black
1956/57 137 - 201640 White/Red
1957/58 773 - 214001 White/Purple
1958/59 TRUCK 7393 - 28924 White/Dark Green
TRACTOR 787 - Blue/Orange
NATIONAL GUARD
H.B. 790 P 7/21/1947.
Small-size supplemental undated attachments issued as of 1955,
through 1970's, in various color schemes.
LEGENDS: "MEMBER ILLINOIS NATIONAL GUARD", half-circle shape, no serial number.
PRORATE
Law P 1957. Began 1958. Last seen 1960.
Small annual supplemental plate issued to out-of-state trucks, no fee.
8,624 issued by July 1958. Weight classes and colors same as truck.
LEGENDS: "ILLINOIS PRO RATE" top, "19 LAND OF LINCOLN 58" bottom 1958-59,
"19 LAND OF LINCOLN 60" top, "ILLINOIS PRO RATE" bottom 1960.
1958 N 4036
1959 H 4 2290, X?, K 429, L?, N 3845, P 4048
1960 H 4 176, K 1498, N 4337
RECIPROCITY
Law P 1957. Began 1958. Small permanent supplemental plate issued to
out-of-state trucks, no fee. 47,927 issued by July 1958. New series
reissued every few years. Undated, "ILLINOIS RECIPROCITY" all bases.
Issued annually as of 1972 at $1 per year, became biennial in 1973 at
$3 per term.
R = Restricted; Missouri Local Trucks limited to 25 miles from home city.
A. White/Black H4 5813, X 6488, Legend top, slogan bottom
(1958) K 4820, L 2649,
N44285, P13436
(B. White/Dark Brown N40901 Legend top, slogan bottom ??)
C. White/Dark Green 19 030 - 118903 Slogan top, legend bottom
(August 1960) 128876 - 247053 Legend top, slogan bottom
D. Orange/Dark Blue 117834 - 169109 Legend bottom, no border
(July 1967) 502187 - 586051 "FOR HIRE" top also, no border
175734 - 178308 Legend bottom, border
E. Red/Yellow NR 114911 - 296355 Legend bottom, border
(August 1971) R 2784 - R 5771 [1972 chart R 1803]
F. Green/White FR 122236 - 186948 Legend bottom, thin numbers
(1973?) R 1001 - R 6295 " " " "
(in use 1976-79) 242900 - 397543 Legend bottom, wide numbers
TRUCK WEIGHT LIMIT (See Truck page)
H.B. 474 P 6/30/1919, E 1/1/1920. Began 1920 along with Truck
plates. Small undated supplemental attachments issued 1920-29.
Unknown if issued annually or only upon initial registration.
1920: 70,000 ordered, 65,080 distributed.
Weight classes: 1920-23 - 5,000, 12,000, 15,000, >15,000 lbs.
1924-29 - 5,000, 12,000, 16,000, 20,000, >20,000 lbs.
Due to the honor system, the vast majority issued were 5,000 lbs.
Discontinued 1930; replaced by weight-coded truck plates.
A. Black/Orange (1920? or 1927?) "ILLINOIS WEIGHT/5000 LBS."
B. Gold/Black (1924?) "TRUCK WEIGHT/12000 LBS."