Here are quite a few New York Prestate License Plates in my collection - Note the different styles of many of them as they were mostly homemade. The 2 photo's lower on the page are plates hanging from the ceiling, they are reversable plates with New York on one side and another state on the other. That was required if you lived in one state and worked in another state back then. The Leather Initial plates were the first plates required in New York in 1901. The problem was that after a while they found that a lot of drivers had the same initials so in 1902 they requred you to add your middle initial too. That didn't work either as some had the same three initials too so they finally got it right in 1903 as they began the numeric system. The 1st photo are 4 NY Porcelain Prestate Plates - Very few of these exist. - All made by the same Manufacturer.
