February 2021
Explaining it to a "T"
How many times have you heard your older NC plates with the T described as a truck tag? Well, it is but then again, it may not be. The "symbol" T- and that is what it is as it is not considered to be part of the plate number- has been used for temporary plates used while a replacement was made, for trucks, for trailers, and for taxis. You will find symbol T plates used from at least 1917 through 1973. Each type of these plates are shown below.
Temporary Plates Issued 1917 |
|
The 1917 plate shown really caused some confusion when it was found as the earliest "T" plate known had been the 1920. Many collectors had no idea about this 1917 plate as early records had been destroyed and no others had been found including any from 1918 & 1919. Granted there are not a lot of older NC plates in general, but why only one 1917 and why have none surfaced since? On my quest to find the oldest NC plates mentioned in the NC General Statutes, I came across this in Chapter 140 of the 1917 statutes-
In case of the loss or destruction of a display number, the Secretary of State, upon proper proof thereof filed with him, and the payment of one dollar, shall secure for such owner a duplicate number, and the Secretary of State may in his discretion authorize the applicant for duplicate number to have prepared for use a temporary number until the duplicate can be made and furnished.
While it didn't make sense for any other truck plates not to surface, I have come to the conclusion that it made perfect sense for such a low number (34) to be reserved for use while a duplicate plate was made. You have to remember that during this time, plate manufacturing was performed by private industry and was sure to take some time to remake that plate with the number issued to the owner. In the case of #34, I suspect it expired around June or July when the 1918 plates would have been made available. Still remains the question of where the match to the #34 plate is. As for the 1918 and later temporary plates, perhaps it was found to be easier to simply issue a new number instead of waiting on a duplicate number to be made.
In case of the loss or destruction of a display number, the Secretary of State, upon proper proof thereof filed with him, and the payment of one dollar, shall secure for such owner a duplicate number, and the Secretary of State may in his discretion authorize the applicant for duplicate number to have prepared for use a temporary number until the duplicate can be made and furnished.
While it didn't make sense for any other truck plates not to surface, I have come to the conclusion that it made perfect sense for such a low number (34) to be reserved for use while a duplicate plate was made. You have to remember that during this time, plate manufacturing was performed by private industry and was sure to take some time to remake that plate with the number issued to the owner. In the case of #34, I suspect it expired around June or July when the 1918 plates would have been made available. Still remains the question of where the match to the #34 plate is. As for the 1918 and later temporary plates, perhaps it was found to be easier to simply issue a new number instead of waiting on a duplicate number to be made.
Truck + Trailer = Tonnage 1920-1927 |
|
So 1920 is the first year for truck plates, right? Well, yes and no according to Chapter 189 of the 1919 NC General Statutes which describes registration fees which for cars is based on horsepower while trucks and trailers are based on tonnage as described-
"That a license or registration fee shall be charged and collected annually on motor vehicles registered under the provisions of this act. on each motor vehicle, except motor trucks, motor vehicles for the carriage of passengers for hire, and motorcycles, as follows : On each motor vehicle having a rating of twenty-six horsepower or less, a registration license fee of ten dollars ; on each motor vehicle having a rating of more than twenty-six but not more than thirty horsepower, a registration or license fee of fifteen dollars ; on each motor vehicle having a rating of more than thirty horsepower a registration or license fee of twenty dollars: that each motor vehicle used for the carriage of passengers for hire shall carry a special "Service" license to be furnished by the Secretary of State, for which the license service license fee shall be twice the amount fixed for like motor vehicles for private use. The annual license or registration fee for a motorcycle shall be five dollars. The annual registration or license fee for motor trucks shall be as follows : On each motor truck license. with a carrying capacity of not more than one ton, twelve dollars and fifty cents ; on each motor truck with a carrying capacity of more than one ton but not more than two tons, twenty-five dollars ; on each motor truck with a carrying capacity of more than two tons but not more than three tons, forty dollars ; on each motor truck with a carrying capacity of more than three tons but not more than four tons, sixty-five dollars ; on each motor truck with a carrying capacity of more than four tons but not more than five and one-half tons, one hundred dollars ; on each trailer, ten dollars for the first ton carrying capacity and twenty dollars for each additional ton”
Again, keep in mind the symbols we have seen on the plates. For 1920, that is pretty much D (dealer) and T which in the statute describes use for vehicles registered by tonnage. This is why I refer to 1920-27 plates as "tonnage".
"That a license or registration fee shall be charged and collected annually on motor vehicles registered under the provisions of this act. on each motor vehicle, except motor trucks, motor vehicles for the carriage of passengers for hire, and motorcycles, as follows : On each motor vehicle having a rating of twenty-six horsepower or less, a registration license fee of ten dollars ; on each motor vehicle having a rating of more than twenty-six but not more than thirty horsepower, a registration or license fee of fifteen dollars ; on each motor vehicle having a rating of more than thirty horsepower a registration or license fee of twenty dollars: that each motor vehicle used for the carriage of passengers for hire shall carry a special "Service" license to be furnished by the Secretary of State, for which the license service license fee shall be twice the amount fixed for like motor vehicles for private use. The annual license or registration fee for a motorcycle shall be five dollars. The annual registration or license fee for motor trucks shall be as follows : On each motor truck license. with a carrying capacity of not more than one ton, twelve dollars and fifty cents ; on each motor truck with a carrying capacity of more than one ton but not more than two tons, twenty-five dollars ; on each motor truck with a carrying capacity of more than two tons but not more than three tons, forty dollars ; on each motor truck with a carrying capacity of more than three tons but not more than four tons, sixty-five dollars ; on each motor truck with a carrying capacity of more than four tons but not more than five and one-half tons, one hundred dollars ; on each trailer, ten dollars for the first ton carrying capacity and twenty dollars for each additional ton”
Again, keep in mind the symbols we have seen on the plates. For 1920, that is pretty much D (dealer) and T which in the statute describes use for vehicles registered by tonnage. This is why I refer to 1920-27 plates as "tonnage".
Truck - 1928-1930, 1932, 1935
Officially, 1928 was the first year where the "T" symbol was issued solely for trucks. Trailers now had a symbol "TR" and trucks with solid tires were given the symbol of "TS". NC used "T" through 1930 before stamping the tonnage on 1931 plates. 1932 plates used a T after the numberfor truck plates before reverting back to showing tonnage on 1933 and 1934 plates. 1935 truck plates used a letter B over the T symbol.
|
|
|
Taxi - 1936-1955
Recently, I found the 1936 plate on eBay which confirms the first year that T was used for taxicabs in NC. The symbol was used through 1955 as a prefix before changing to an A suffix in 1956.
|
|
|
Truck 1956-73
When the numbering system was redesigned for 1956, the T became part of the plate number as a suffix for privately owned trucks. Actually it was used for overflow once the numbering reached SZ which occurred in 1958. The suffix began with T then TA and on through TZ before more overflow was added in the late 1960s with the V suffix.
|
|
|
NC General Statute of the Month- Judiciary Plates
§ 20‑79.6. Special registration plates for members of the judiciary.
(a) Supreme Court. – A special plate issued to a Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court shall bear the words "Supreme Court" and the Great Seal of North Carolina and a number from 1 through 7. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina shall be issued the plate bearing the number 1 and the remaining plates shall be issued to the Associate Justices on the basis of seniority.
Special plates issued to retired members of the Supreme Court shall bear a number indicating the member's position of seniority at the time of retirement followed by the letter "X" to indicate the member's retired status.
(a1) Court of Appeals. – A special plate issued to a Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals shall bear the words "Court of Appeals" and the Great Seal of North Carolina and a number beginning with the number 1. The Chief Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals shall be issued a plate with the number 1 and the remaining plates shall be issued to the Associate Judges with the numbers assigned on the basis of seniority.
Special plates issued to retired members of the Court of Appeals shall bear a number indicating the member's position of seniority at the time of retirement followed by the letter "X" to indicate the member's retired status.
(b) Superior Court. – A special plate issued to a resident superior court judge shall bear the letter "J" followed by a number indicative of the judicial district the judge serves. The number issued to the senior resident superior court judge shall be the numerical designation of the judge's judicial district, as defined in G.S. 7A‑41.1(a)(1). If a district has more than one regular resident superior court judge, a special plate for a resident superior court judge of that district shall bear the number issued to the senior resident superior court judge followed by a hyphen and a letter of the alphabet beginning with the letter "A" to indicate the judge's seniority.
For any grouping of districts having the same numerical designation, other than districts where there are two or more resident superior court judges, the number issued to the senior resident superior court judge shall be the number the districts in the set have in common. A special plate issued to the other regular resident superior court judges of the set of districts shall bear the number issued to the senior resident superior court judge followed by a hyphen and a letter of the alphabet beginning with the letter "A" to indicate the judge's seniority among all of the regular resident superior court judges of the set of districts. The letter assigned to a resident superior court judge will not necessarily correspond with the letter designation of the district the judge serves.
Where there are two or more regular resident superior court judges for the district or set of districts, the registration plate with the letter "A" shall be issued to the judge who, from among all the regular resident superior court judges of the district or set of districts, has the most continuous service as a regular resident superior court judge; provided if two or more judges are of equal service, the oldest of those judges shall receive the next letter registration plate. Thereafter, registration plates shall be issued based on seniority within the district or set of districts.
A special judge, emergency judge, or retired judge of the superior court shall be issued a special plate bearing the letter "J" followed by a number designated by the Administrative Office of the Courts with the approval of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. The plate for a retired judge shall have the letter "X" after the designated number to indicate the judge's retired status.
(c) District Court. – A special plate issued to a North Carolina district court judge shall bear the letter "J" followed by a number. For the chief judge of the district court district, the number shall be equal to the sum of the numerical designation of the district court district the chief judge serves, plus 100. The number for all other judges of the district courts serving within the same district court district shall be the same number as appears on the special plate issued to the chief district judge followed by a letter of the alphabet beginning with the letter "A" to indicate the judge's seniority. A retired district court judge shall be issued a similar plate except that the numerical designation shall be followed by the letter "X" to indicate the judge's retired status.
(d) United States. – A special plate issued to a Justice of the United States Supreme Court, a Judge of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals, or a District Judge of the United States District Court residing in North Carolina shall bear the words "U.S. J" followed by a number beginning with "1". The number shall reflect the judge's seniority based on continuous service as a United States Judge as designated by the Secretary of State. A judge who has retired or taken senior status shall be issued a similar plate except that the number shall be based on the date of the judge's retirement or assumption of senior status and shall follow the numerical designation of active justices and judges. (1991, c. 672, s. 2; c. 726, s. 23; 1999‑403, s. 5; 1999‑456, s. 67.1.)
(a) Supreme Court. – A special plate issued to a Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court shall bear the words "Supreme Court" and the Great Seal of North Carolina and a number from 1 through 7. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina shall be issued the plate bearing the number 1 and the remaining plates shall be issued to the Associate Justices on the basis of seniority.
Special plates issued to retired members of the Supreme Court shall bear a number indicating the member's position of seniority at the time of retirement followed by the letter "X" to indicate the member's retired status.
(a1) Court of Appeals. – A special plate issued to a Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals shall bear the words "Court of Appeals" and the Great Seal of North Carolina and a number beginning with the number 1. The Chief Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals shall be issued a plate with the number 1 and the remaining plates shall be issued to the Associate Judges with the numbers assigned on the basis of seniority.
Special plates issued to retired members of the Court of Appeals shall bear a number indicating the member's position of seniority at the time of retirement followed by the letter "X" to indicate the member's retired status.
(b) Superior Court. – A special plate issued to a resident superior court judge shall bear the letter "J" followed by a number indicative of the judicial district the judge serves. The number issued to the senior resident superior court judge shall be the numerical designation of the judge's judicial district, as defined in G.S. 7A‑41.1(a)(1). If a district has more than one regular resident superior court judge, a special plate for a resident superior court judge of that district shall bear the number issued to the senior resident superior court judge followed by a hyphen and a letter of the alphabet beginning with the letter "A" to indicate the judge's seniority.
For any grouping of districts having the same numerical designation, other than districts where there are two or more resident superior court judges, the number issued to the senior resident superior court judge shall be the number the districts in the set have in common. A special plate issued to the other regular resident superior court judges of the set of districts shall bear the number issued to the senior resident superior court judge followed by a hyphen and a letter of the alphabet beginning with the letter "A" to indicate the judge's seniority among all of the regular resident superior court judges of the set of districts. The letter assigned to a resident superior court judge will not necessarily correspond with the letter designation of the district the judge serves.
Where there are two or more regular resident superior court judges for the district or set of districts, the registration plate with the letter "A" shall be issued to the judge who, from among all the regular resident superior court judges of the district or set of districts, has the most continuous service as a regular resident superior court judge; provided if two or more judges are of equal service, the oldest of those judges shall receive the next letter registration plate. Thereafter, registration plates shall be issued based on seniority within the district or set of districts.
A special judge, emergency judge, or retired judge of the superior court shall be issued a special plate bearing the letter "J" followed by a number designated by the Administrative Office of the Courts with the approval of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. The plate for a retired judge shall have the letter "X" after the designated number to indicate the judge's retired status.
(c) District Court. – A special plate issued to a North Carolina district court judge shall bear the letter "J" followed by a number. For the chief judge of the district court district, the number shall be equal to the sum of the numerical designation of the district court district the chief judge serves, plus 100. The number for all other judges of the district courts serving within the same district court district shall be the same number as appears on the special plate issued to the chief district judge followed by a letter of the alphabet beginning with the letter "A" to indicate the judge's seniority. A retired district court judge shall be issued a similar plate except that the numerical designation shall be followed by the letter "X" to indicate the judge's retired status.
(d) United States. – A special plate issued to a Justice of the United States Supreme Court, a Judge of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals, or a District Judge of the United States District Court residing in North Carolina shall bear the words "U.S. J" followed by a number beginning with "1". The number shall reflect the judge's seniority based on continuous service as a United States Judge as designated by the Secretary of State. A judge who has retired or taken senior status shall be issued a similar plate except that the number shall be based on the date of the judge's retirement or assumption of senior status and shall follow the numerical designation of active justices and judges. (1991, c. 672, s. 2; c. 726, s. 23; 1999‑403, s. 5; 1999‑456, s. 67.1.)
Top 10 Rarest NC Non-passenger plates
#1) 1917 TemporaryPlate pictured is the only one known to exist and for years was mistaken for a truck plate.
|
|
#2) 1960 Farm TrailerPlate shown was found in 2020 and is the only one known to exist. This type was issued only for 1960 & 1961.
|
|
#3) 6/30/1926 Replacement?Actually, the R symbol is unknown but is thought to be used as a replacement plate. Only 2 are known to exist
|
|
#4) 1980s Partially Disabled VeteranFirst issued in the 1980s, the partially disabled veteran plates are identical to the regular disabled veteran plates with the exception of the PD prefix. the one in the picture is the 37th one issued and appears to have an initial 1989 sticker. Overall today there are less than 3000 issued.
|
|
#5) 1928 "U-Drive-It" (First Year)The "U-Drive-It" plate was first mentioned in the 1927 NC General Statutes and the first issue was in 1928. None of these first year plates were found until pulled from a barn where they were used as shingles in 2019. Less than 10 were pulled from that barn.
|
|
#6) 1933 10 Ton Solid Tire TruckPerhaps the heaviest truck plate issued for 1933 was found on eBay in 2019. It was just a few years later that solid tires would be made illegal to run on NC highways. The 10 ton is the highest weight issued on any NC plate in the era and even back then had an astronomical cost. Needless to say, not many have survived.
|
|
#7) 1955 Special Mobile With 1956 DiesMade towards the end of the 1955 plates, it is suspected that only a few hundred plates were made with the 1956 dies. Plate L-43438 was made with the older dies so the cut off point is within 342 plates.
|
|
#8) 1914 Dealer (First Year)Only a handful of 1914 dealers are known to exist and all had numbers in the 8000 range. Still unknown is whether dealers were offered more than one plate with the same number so total number of plates made is unknown.
|
|
#9) 1928 Trailer (First Year)The first year that trucks and trailers were divided from "Tonnage". The picture is a grainy one from an old CCC newsletter so there is at least one out there. No idea how many were actually issued.
|
|
#10) 2010-11 Amateur Radio (Flat)Expect some controversy about the rarity of these plates, but the fact is the flat plates were issued only in 2010-11 to new registrants. I would suspect less than 100 of the flat plates were issued as they are manufactured in the same style as specialty plates probably 25 or less at a time.
|
|
