Originally posted by rod_grant I was going to paste this on the trains and plains and boats and automobile thread; but decided the inhabitants there might not be so keen on a story. (I know Les/Bob will be)
I started ruminating after a comment on that thread indicated that the poster thought the last part of a number plate (licence plate to some) spelt BOZO (it was actually 8 OZO)
Although the plate configuration in Victoria have been pretty straightforward - even logical - until the past few years when they have gone a bit awry.
The earliest Victorian plates that I recall seeing (probably pre WW2 but date uncertain) were 99 999 then 999 999
The first car in the family 1947 Austin was AA 999 (actually TL 278 - what a memory; if only I could remember what day it is now)
This was followed by AAA 999 - except the States allocated groups of numbers to each State - Victoria started at GAA...
Eventually the States ran out of their allocations an so they overlapped, differentiated only by colour.
I have had cars with regos starting with (in order, but mostly preloved) G K L B D F P R and U
The current series of plates - of which my current ride is one - is configured 9AA 9AA I have no idea how they increment, but I have not yet seen any starting with other than 1 as yet.
On top of that plates are now also issued (at an extra cost) in the old format AAA 999 and with a different colour, and for lots more cost specials can be ordered with any mixture of up to six alphas-numerics-symbols as long as it is not offensive.
"Sorry officer, I can't remember the number of the car that hit me, but I think it had a heart in it"
Fascinating license plate information Rod. I have been a plate collector since my teens when I got a dealer plate. Discovered ALPCA, the Automobile License Plate Collector’s Association about 24 years ago, and joined. Membership numbers are sequential, the first member given number 1. I am 8426.
Haven’t checked recently but the membership numbers are into six digits now, with members on all continents. I have made connections with members the world over, traded plates and some members have even gifted me plates.
My favorites are the personalized plates issued in some jurisdictions, the myriad graphic plates that have become quite common since the advent of inkjet printing, government, municipal and law enforcement plates, foreign plates, especially the difficult to obtain ones, and plates like the one on Tim’s car that can suggest a funny or interesting word or phrase.