Pennsylvania License Plates

Pennsylvania state-issued license plates were first issued in 1906. The 1906 through 1909 license plates actually indicated that the driver, not the vehicle, was licensed. By law the serial number digits were 5 inches tall; the plates themselves were 6 1/2 inches high. Serial numbers were all numeric and started from 1. The plate width varied based on number of digits. These plates were made of iron coated with porcelain. The porcelain coating preserved the iron well and retained its shine, and many very nice examples may still be found. The down side is that porcelain chips very easily, and therefore it can be relatively difficult to find an unchipped plate from this era. These plates carried the state abbreviation "Penna" and the 4 digit year, as did all Pennsylvania passenger car plates through 1957. The "Penna" and the year were placed along the top of the plate, except for on 1 and 2 digit serials, where they were placed to the right of the serial number. Even the first year registrations exceeded 10,000.