Vintage West Virginia LICENSE PLATES FOR SALE LINK plus Best Old Plates

Best Antique West Virginia license plates: The 1909 black on orange/red porcelain plate is one of West Virginia's nicest looking old automobile tags. When they ran out of porcelain, paper versions were issued, but not with the big bold, ornate numerals of the porcelains. No other state has such an attractive run of porcelain tags, and notable are the rather small-sized issues for 1912, "July 1914", (as there was no 1913 West Virginia license plate), and double-dated issues for 1914-1915, and 1915-1916. Each featured the word "license" at the top, and was flanked by opposite-colored date and jurisdiction designations inscribed vertically on either side.

Best of the "Not-so- Old West Virginia license plates: The 1942 plate in W.Va is validated by a 1943 metal tab; it may be the largest wartime tab issued which actually bears the same number as the base plate. These are scarce, and most you will find attached to the base plate do no not share the matching number. Another tough old West Virginia plate of the era is the cardboard or fiber 1946 issue.

Toughest/Most Rare West Virginia plates: Depends on whether or not you believe in the 1905 -- (or for that matter, the 1906!) The 1906 West Virginia license plate is considered one of the most scarce of any US state-issued license plate. The few which are known to exist are small, thin, and oddly, an peculiar light-blue on dark-blue color scheme. Unless repainted, they all seem to have been unissued. Some collectors claim that they were manufactured, but never issued -- and in fact, the poor visual contrast on these blue-on-blue "mint" plates suggests that they may be license plates which were primed at a factory, but never received their final coat of paint. Were these really issued? No photos exist of them on cars, and historical accounts are scanty. This goes back to a fundamental question: are unissued license plates truly license plates? Having said all this, no red blooded collector would ever pass up owning a 1906 West Virginia license plate, if he could! Now about the 1905: The only one to exist is a repainted white on green, with a vertical "05" on the right side. Supposedly uncovered in Florida in the late 1940s, it would be, if genuine, both the oldest dated license plate ever issued by a state, as well as the smallest, at just 5.5" by 3.0". One crucial point on these two extraordinary rarities: Documentation does exist supporting the issuance of state-sanctioned license plates in West Virginia in 1905, and 1906.

New & Old West Virginia License plate slogans:

  • Mountain State
  • Wild, Wonderful West Virginia

    These are just humble opinions about various antique license plates! Your views on old West Virginia plates may differ, and may even be correct(!)

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