SAMPLES
Sample plates were originally produced by companies hoping to win a contract from a state to manufacture all of that state's plates. Examples of these "salesman's" samples are known from Maryland as early as 1910, the first issue, and are now considered to be prototype plates. By the early 1920's, most states were ordering samples in sufficient quantities to exchange with each of the other states and provinces and send out to law enforcement agencies and later, collectors. Typically, sample plates bear a number consisting of all zeroes, such as 000-000, the word SAMPLE, or an "impossible" number. New Hampshire plates were blank from 1923 to 1932 and often doubled in use as replacement plates with numbers painted on.
This table lists the earliest known sample of each jurisdiction (and years not verified):
AL 1927 (28,44,45) MO 1924 (32,45)
AK 1923 (24,25,26,27) MT 1923 (24,27,44,45)
AZ 1923 (24) NE 1925 (28)
AR 1924 (25) NV 1925 (44)
CA 1925 (42) NH 1923 (24,25,27)
CO 1920 (21,22,23,43) NJ 1924 (25)
CT 1926 NM 1920 (21,22,23,25)
DE 1926 (27) NY 1927 (28)
DC 1927 (28,46) NC 1924 (25,26,D27,28)
FL 1926 ND 1920 (21,22,23,31)
GA 1926 OH 1923 (24,25)
HI 1926 OK 1926 (42,75Z)
ID 1926 OR 1917 (18,19,21,22)
IL 1925 (43) PA 1924 (44)
IN 1926 (29) RI 1923
IA 1924 SC 1923 (25)
KS 1924 SD 1924
KY 1922 (23,24) TN 1926
LA 1926 (44,45) TX 1923 (24,27,29)
ME 1925 UT 1923 (24,44)
MD 1924 VT 1925 (44)
MA 1925 VA 1924 (28,57)
MI 1922 (25) WA 1923 (24)
MN 1924 (27,28) WV 1925
MS 1925 (52#,55S,56S) WI 1922 (24)
WY 1925
PR 1929/30
VI 1939 (40-on)
CZ 1931 (32,34,37,45)
AB 1927 (28,44) ON 1927
BC 1924 (25,28,29) PE 1928 (29,43)
MB 1927 (28) QC 1922 (24,45)
NB 1928 SK 1927 (28,29,31,34)
NF 1928 (29-35,42,43,44,45,47) YK 1934 (36,42,44)
NS 1928 (29,45) NT 1948 (49,50,51,52,57,61,80)
CUMULATIVE NUMBER OF JURISDICTIONS SEEN BY YEAR (U.S. + CANADA):
1920 4 + 0 CO,NM,ND,OR
1922 7 + 1 KY,MI,WI,QC
1923 17 + 1 AK,AZ,MT,NH,OH,RI,SC,TX,UT,WA
1924 28 + 2 AR,IA,KS,MD,MN,MO,NJ,NC,PA,SD,VA,BC
1925 38 + 2 CA,IL,ME,MA,MS,NE,NV,VT,WV,WY
1926 48 + 2 CT,DE,FL,GA,HI,ID,IN,LA,OK,TN
1927 50 + 6 AL,NY,DC,AB,MB,ON,SK
1928 50 + 10 NB,NF,NS,PE
1929 50 + 10 PR
1931 50 + 10 CZ
1934 50 + 11 YK
1939 50 + 11 VI
1948 50 + 12 NT
VERIFY
1926 - AK,NC
1927 - AK,DE,MN,MT,NH,NC,TX
1928 - AL,DC,IA,MN,NE,NY,NC,VA,AB,BC,MB
1929 - IN,TX,BC,NF,NS,PE
1930 - IN,NF
1931 - ND,NF,SK
1932 - MO,CZ,NF
1933 - NF,SK
1934 - CZ,NF,SK
1935 - NF
1936 - YK
1937 - CZ
1942 - CA,OK,NF,SK
1943 - CO,IL,NF,PE
1944 - AL,LA,MT,NV,PA,UT,VT,AB,NF,YK
1945 - AL,LA,MO,MT,CZ,NF,NS,QC
1946 - DC
1947 - NF
1949 - NT
1950 - NT
1951 - NT
1952 - NT
1957 - VA,NT
1961 - NT
1980 - NT
