MARYLAND

Prior to the first state registration in 1904, automobiles in Baltimore were required to be licensed and display a number as early as 1902, but it is not certain if this applied to all vehicles or just motor vehicles.

1904 Chapter 518, passed on April 12, 1904, required all motor vehicles except motorcycles to register with the Secretary of State, pay a one-time $1 fee, and display an owner-provided rear plate with 3-inch-tall numbers, as well as 1-inch-tall headlight numbers.  Registration began on May 28, 1904.  Dealers were not included unless using vehicles for hire.  All non-residents traveling through the state were also required to register.

The 1904 law was amended by 1906 Chapter 449, passed on April 3, 1906, and effective immediately.  The fee was increased to $3, but motorcycles and dealers were still exempted.  Plates were now to be white on black and be displayed on both front and rear, while headlight numbers increased from 1 to 2 inches tall.  Any other state plates were to be removed while in Maryland except District of Columbia plates, which could remain on display as long as they contained the letters "DC" in 1/2-inch-tall letters after the number.  District plate regulations already specified a "DC" abbreviation at this time but, starting in October 1907, new district-issued plates with the full name technically wouldn't have complied with Maryland law!  All old Maryland registrations issued in 1904-06 under the previous law remained valid.

Numbers 6134 and 6135 were assigned to President Taft's automobiles on April 3, 1909.  The highest known pre-state plate is #10366.  While no law during this period ever required the letters "MD" or any other state identification, about half of Maryland's pre-state plate owners added it anyway.  (Curiously, a Columbia, SC, city ordinance effective March 15, 1906, stated that physicians may use the letters "MD" with their 3-inch numbers since they were exempted from speed limit rules.)  We have registration figures, shown in ( ), for some but not all years of the pre-state era, from which we can assemble the following partial yearly number breakdown estimates:

      1904      1 -  654     (654)

      1905    655 - 1464     (810)

      1906   1465 - 2693   (1,229)

      1907   2694 - 4178   (1,485)

      1908   4179 - 4400     (222)   (As of April 30, 1908)

      1909                 (3,268)

      1910        (10366 seen)

The pre-state era ended on June 30, 1910.  1910 Chapter 207, passed on April 5, 1910, and effective July 1, 1910, required all owners of motor vehicles, including motorcycles and dealers, to register with the newly-created Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, pay an annual fee, and display a pair of annual state-issued plates or a single state-issued motorcycle plate.  Headlight numbers were discontinued.  Fees were $6, $12 or $18 depending upon horsepower, $3 for "a motor vehicle used only for transportation of merchandise," $1.80 for motorcycles and $10 for motorcycle dealers.  The registration year was January 1 to December 31, but all fees were prorated on a monthly basis for partial year registrations.  Non-residents were allowed two 7-day periods per year in Maryland before having to register.  Registration had begun by June 3, 1910.

Dealers had the choice of a $24 fee for 4 pairs, plus $6 for each additional pair needed, or a $100 flat rate fee for an unlimited number of pairs!  Dealer plates, including up to 4 duplicate sets, were to be state-issued, while any additional sets were to be provided by the dealer.  It is noteworthy that the 1910 Dealer plates are porcelain and not embossed steel like all regular 1910 plates.  The Denton Journal reports on May 28, 1910, that:  "Under the new law dealers and manufacturers of cars may register them separately or may secure a certificate assigning them a definite number on their cars for $24 a year.  They can use these numbers interchangeably, but can never have more than four in service at one time.  If they wish to use more they must pay $6 a year for extra numbers and furnish the designated number themselves."

The following article appeared in The Automobile on May 12, 1910:

      "Baltimore, May 9 - The new Swann Motor Vehicle Law is now in force, Commissioner of Motor Vehicles John E. George having assumed office last Monday.  He has given a contract to the Auto Supply Company for 5,000 sets of automobile tags, there being two tags to each set, and 500 motor bicycle tags.  The automobile tags have blue letters on a white background.  According to the new law all cars in the State must have tags before July 1."

The actual 1910 plates turned out to be black on yellow!  Blue-on-white plates did not appear until 1912.

1911 plates went on sale December 12, 1910.  A registration figure for 1910 has been reported as 5,586 but this may be the total of all vehicle types, not just passenger.  The lowest and highest known 1910 passenger plates are #4 to #4941, and Dealer plates #95 to #398 are known.  The 1910 motorcycle plates were flat, prompting complaints from cycle owners, a situation that was corrected with the curved-top-to-bottom 1911 plates.  No 1910 Merchandise Only, motorcycle or motorcycle dealer plates are known, but 1911 Merchandise Only (#M718) and motorcycle (#989) plates are known.