COUNTY           1922   1923-24   1925   1926   1927   1928-29

Polk               1       1        1      1      A       A

Wooodbury          2       2        2      2      B       B

Linn               4       4        3      3      C       C

Scott              3       3        4      4      E       E

Pottawattamie      5       5        5      5      F       F

Black Hawk        12       6        6      6      H       H

Dubuque          (36)     36        7      7      J       J

Clinton          (28)    (28)      29      8      K       K

Webster          (95)    (95)     (95)     9      L       L

Cerro Gordo      (22)    (22)     (23)   (25)     M       M

Des Moines       (34)    (34)     (35)   (36)     N       N

Jasper           (55)    (55)     (55)   (56)   (45)      P

Lee              (61)    (61)     (61)   (62)   (51)      R

7-DIGIT EXPECTED BY REGISTRATIONS:

1922   12-10200  (1923 6-10844 seen)

1924   36-10600

1925   29-10554  (29-10461 seen)

LETTER SERIES TOTALS BY REGISTRATIONS:  1927   185,484   28%

                                        1929   229,534   32%

1930-55 FORMATS    1-1 -  9-99999    County codes on County Code

                  10-1 - 99-99999    page, assigned alphabetically.

                                     00 = Non-resident.

1955    77-A-1 - 77-A-999,     (1950/51 #00-0152 - 00-0215)

      77-A1000 - 77-A7366      (Began at 77-A1000 on 6/8/1955;

                                perhaps 77-A-1 - 77-A-999 came later)

1948-57 tabs have no serial number.

1956-57 FORMATS   1-0001 - 99-9999             No I,M,O,Q,W,Y used.

                  1-A000 - 99-Z999   (212,891)   21 counties

                  1-0A00 - 99-9Z99    (79,512)    6 counties 

                 57-00A0 - 77-99Z9    (20,000)    2 counties

                 77-000A - 77-999Z    (20,000)

(1957)           77-AA00 - 77-FC79    (10,280)  (JF reported)

County codes same as 1930-55.  00 = Non-resident.

Cedar Rapids Gazette article 1/14/1956 p.6 describes letter system.

COUNTIES USING LETTER SERIES         (347,612)   35%

Highest number observed:

 7-3U96 36,397   50-D286  3,827   64-F044  5,045   84-A537    538

 8-B266  1,267   52-E940  4,941   70-D391  3,392   85-J046  8,047

17-J953  8,954   55-A128    129   77-FC79 90,280   90-J309  8,310

23-N550 11,551   56-H044  7,045   78-0C09 21,010   94-K108  9,109

29-H375  7,376   57-23A8 40,239   82-3T72 35,373   97-5L67 30,568

31-S213 14,214                   (82-6Z50 ordered)

Other counties with potential to have reached

letter series, based on 1956 registrations:  25-9403, 33-9779

1958-74 FORMATS   1 - 1 -   9-99999   County codes same as 1930-57.

                1/0 - 1 - 9/9-99999   0/0 = Non-resident.

                                      Hyphen used in 1958 only.*

*Counties 1 - 9:  1958-60 - Small prefix (hyphen in 1958 only)

                  1960-74 - Large prefix (hyphen added in 1965, some 1964)

8-DIGIT PLATES

Highest number expected per registration figures (*or observed

number if higher):

1959   7/7 100000   -1%                  1967      7/7 131530    2%

1960   7/7 104216   -1%                  1968      7/7 136947*   2%

1961   7/7 105452   -1%                  1969      7/7 141834*   3%

1962   7/7 109578   -1%                  1970      7/7 145328    3%

1963   7/7 112052    1%                  1971      7/7 151698*   3%

1964   7/7 117578    1%                  1972-74   7/7 202343*

1965   7/7 122866    1%                            5/7 107784*

1966   7/7 128081    2%                            8/2 102832*  

1975-78 BASE

   1/  AAA000 - 9/  AQZ999    No I,O,Q used in 3rd letter position.

   1/0 ARA000 - 9/9 HMZ999    County number codes same as 1930-74.

       HNA000 - 0/0 HNZ999    Non-Resident series. (See Variations)

   2/3 HOA000 - 2/3 HOA769    Clinton skipped BKA-BKZ, issued HOA+.

  (2/3 HOB--- reported)       Replaced 1979.

1979-85 BASE                  No I,O,Q used in 1st or 3rd position.

      AAA 000 - HMZ 999       County letter codes same as 1975-78.

      HNA 000 - HNZ 999       Non-resident series. (Blank bottom)

                              Replaced during 1985.

Initial assignment in County Code Book:  AAA-HNZ      (4,190,000 P)

88 omitted prefixes on file.  Clinton issued BKA-BKZ, reached BLW.

Series skipped:  ETA-EZZ, FYA-FZZ, GZA-GZZ, HOA-HOZ

Additional assignments on file:  HPA-HTZ, JAA-JBT,

JDA-JHF, JIA-JIK 499, JIL-JIN, JIR-JIT 499, KAA-KCZ     (337,000 P)

(Highest seen KCC 923)                          (TOTAL 4,527,000 P)

1986-97 BASE                         No I,O,Q used in 3rd position.

Jan.85  "JAN 86"          LAA 000 - YZZ 999           (6,986,000 P)

1993                      FSA 000 - FSJ 999               (9,000 P)

                                                (TOTAL 6,995,000 P)

Initial assignment in County Code Book:  LAA-TJZ (4,642,000 P)

Series skipped:  LND, LOD, LPD, POW, QKA-QZZ.

Series discontinued:  LDA-LDZ, PDA-PDZ.

Additional assignments in County Code Book:  TKA-WYL

Series assigned by volume starting August 1992 at WLA.

ZAA-ZZZ reserved for drunk drivers but none ever issued.

Prefixes not seen:  XCH-XDZ, XLN-XXL, YGB-YXZ.  XYY 481 seen in thin dies.

Letters omitted:

D - UDA-UDZ, VDA-VDZ (XDA-XDZ) (No D used in 3rd position)

O - TOA-TOZ (XOA-XOZ, YOA-YOZ)

Q - TQA-TQZ, UQA-UQZ, VQA-VQZ, WQA-WQZ (XQA-XQZ, YQA-YQZ)

Unusual sequences:

Black Hawk   WJA-WKZ, XEA-XEX, XEZ, YBA-YBJ

Butler       WLA-WLF, (1993) XEY  (WQA-WQZ not issued)

Polk         QAA-QJZ, (1987) UAA-UZZ, XJA-XKZ, XXM, YDA-YDZ,

             YZA-YZZ, YYA-YYB

Pottawatamie VRA-VRZ, FSA-FSJ, VSA-VSZ

Replaced during 1997.  

1997-2018 FARM SCENE BASE      All letters used.*  SAA-SHG omitted.

1-2-97  "JUL 97"  Types 1-2      000 AAA - 399 FSK    (3,056,400 P)

1998    "JUN 98"  Types 3-4      400 FSK - 178 KCZ    (1,932,779 P)

2001    "MAR 02"  Types 4a-5     443 KZD - 982 YPK    (5,400,540 P)

2011    "MAY 12"  Type  6        090 YPL - 999 ZZZ      (780,910 P)

2012    "JUL 13" Type  6a       AAA 000 - GXH 065    (4,124,066 P)

                                               (TOTAL 15,294,802 P)

*No D,I,O,Q used in 4th position.  Non-Pass. Suffixes:  SAA-SHG.

*U,V omitted after initial assignment (EEU-EEV last ones).

(DHT reported in Dubuque Co. 4/11/06, 393 TUT reported 3/14/08.)

*Type 6a:  No I,O,Q used in 3rd position.  U,V now used. 

Initial assignment 000 AAA - 470 EFF (2,163,471 P), observations

only on file.  Union declined series CUP-CVA in favor of EWH-on.

Wapello issued limited number of flat plates CVI-CWO as a test.

Additional assignments began at 471 EFF (Black Hawk).  Order

ending at KCZ possibly misread as KZC, causing next order to start

at KZD.

County stickers in 3 sizes, depending on length of county name.

Type 2:  111 EXY - 770 EZL (37,660 P), FAD reported.

No exact break between Types 3 and 4.

Earliest Type 4 (flat) seen:  999 HMZ  "MAR 01"

Type 4 issued Summer 2000 only in 8 largest counties:  Adams,

Black Hawk, Johnson, Linn, Polk, Pottawatamie, Scott, Woodbury;

issued Summer 2001 in all counties.

Latest Type 3 (embossed) seen:  537 JYC (change reported at 500 KAB)

Earliest Type 5 seen:  102 LEM  (1-14-02 "APR 02")

Zero font added slash "NOV 12" between 840 YXZ and 330 YYA. 

Description of Types:

Type 1 - Embossed numbers, county name on sticker, unpainted back

Type 2 - As Type 1, but blue painted back

Type 3 - Embossed numbers, county name silkscreened on plate

Type 4 - Flat except beveled edge, all features silkscreened

Type 5 - Completely flat, all features silkscreened, blue figures

Type 6 - As Type 5, but black figures

2018-23 CITYSCAPE BASE               No I,O,Q used in 3rd position.

2018    "NOV 18"                GXV 234, IOA 580, IZF 656, JPC 193

2020-23 BLACKOUT BASE                No I,O,Q used in 3rd position.

2019   "MAR 20"                INS 427, IPF 142, ITY 339, JIA 205

                               JWC 600

2020-23 EAGLE BASE                  No I,O,Q used in 3rd position.

9/25/20                        JYG --- - JYJ 133

1992-97 OPTIONAL BASES:

1992-97 SESQUICENTENNIAL BASE    Extra fee $15 initial,$10 renewal.

Feb.92  "AUG 92"  Patriotic     S000001 - S124814       (124,814 P)

Feb.92  "NOV 92"  Scenic        000001S - 129116S       (129,116 P)

                                                  (TOTAL 253,930 P)

Replaced during 1997.

1995-2012 BIRD BASE             Extra fee $35 initial, $10 renewal.

1-3-95  "JUL 95"  Type 1          AA001 - GP161     (No FA-FZ used)

Dec.99            Type 2          GS999 - GT065

                  Type 3          HC251 - HC352

                 (Pheasant Low    HF027)  HP212

Types same as 1997-2009 Farm Scene Base above.  No I,O,Q used.

Known prefixes used:  AA,AF,AG,AH,AN,AR,AU,AV,AY,AZ.

County stickers in 3 sizes, depending on length of county name.