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New York Archive - Part 1
TOTAL KNOWN PORCELAIN VARIETIES: 63
I: PRE-STATES / CITY & COUNTY PLATES
Unlike pre-states from states such as Tennessee and North Carolina, where there
is some degree of standardization, there are no commonly seen porcelains in
New York’s pre-state era in the sense that there does not seem to have been one
company that was known for making license plates for those who ordered them.
Instead, it appears as if multiple enamel firms produced a plate or two here and
there throughout New York's 7 year pre-state era from 1903 through 1909. Thus,
all of the known plates are different from one another, sharing only their black &
white color schemes, which was required by law. They all seem to carry a very
thin black border as well.
The first variety is a standard rectangular porcelain with two mounting holes at
the top and carrying a "N.Y." abbreviation horizontally following the plate number.
The second lowest numbered New York porcelain pre-state is an odd two-piece
porcelain with the state abbreviation on a small porcelain plate and the
registration number by itself on a much larger second plate.
Yet another version is a lot like the first one above, with a horizonally laid out
state initials and two small holes at the top. The only distinguishing characteristic
that marks this plate as a distinct variety is the substantially smaller and thinner
"N.Y." abbreviation.
Another variety of New York pre-state is a standard rectangular plate with two
holes at the top, much like #128 above, except that this version has "NY" suffix
stacked vertically.
A fifth New York porcelain pre-state is nearly identical to #12651, except that the
state abbreviation is much larger and includes periods.
The final variety has noticably different number fonts from the other New York
pre-states, and is the only example to have slots and the only one to carry four
mounting holes as well
In addition to pre-state porcelains, there are also four cities in New York that are
known to have issued porcelain license plates.
MT. KISCO
Mount Kisco is both a village and a town in Westchester County in the
Southeastern corner of New York, about 35 miles north of New York City.
Founded by Quakers in the 17th century, Mount Kisco was incorporated in 1875.
A tiny little plate meauring a mere 2 inches tall is our only surviving evidence that
porcelain license plates were ever issued in Mt. Kisco. It is unclear whether this
was an official city automobile license or some sort of specialized plate. Dated
1920, this little license plate is somewhat of a mystery.
ROCHESTER
The village of Rochesterville was founded in 1803 and lies east of Buffalo, west of
Syracuse and sits on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. By 1821, Rochesterville
was the seat of Monroe County, and the town soon became known as Rochester.
By 1830, Rochester's population was nearly 10,000 and would soon become the
largest flour-producing city in the state. In the early 20th century, Rochester also
became a center of the garment industry, particularly in men's fashions. The
population passed 160,000 in 1900, and reached nearly 300,000 by 1920. It was
during this growth spurt that the only two porcelain license plates known to hail
from Rochester were issued - motorcycle plates from 1914 and 1915. These
elusive plates are highly sought after and perhaps a half-dozen of each year are
known with numbers reaching well into the 2000s. Although the state first began
licensing automobiles in 1910, motorcycles did not carry state issued plates until
1916. Thus, these Rochester cycle plates are legitimate pre-states in the sense
that they pre-date the first state-issued motorcycle plates.
SCHENECTADY
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, of which it is the county
seat. The City is located in the eastern portion of the state, near the confluence
of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers and is in the same metropolitan area as the
state capital of Albany. The area that is now Schenectady was originally the land
of the Mohawk tribe of the Iroquois Nation. It was first settled by Europeans in
1661, was incorporated as a borough in 1765, and chartered as a city in 1798. In
1892, Schenectady became the headquarters of the General Electric Company
and became known as "The City that Lights the World." By the turn of the century,
the population was well over 30,000 and grew to somewhere in the neighborhood
of 60,000 by the time the last known porcelain license plates from the city were
issued.
There is a long series of specialized porcelains which licensed various classes of
vehicle. Although these have no city name on them, and could theoretically be
from anywhere, I believe it is most likely they hail from Schenectady.
Conventional wisdom has long held that these are Rochester issues. However,
given that the final three known years give the town name of Schenectady,
coupled with the fact that the unidentified plates flow seamlessly into the others
with no overlap of dates strongly suggests that they are all Schenectady issues,
but that the town for some reason didn't bother putting its name on the early
plates. One other bit of supporting evidence for this claim is the fact that a 1928
Milk plate was found behind a dairy in Schenectady.
These plates are all extremely long, narrow porcelains, measuring up to 20 inches
in length. They date from as early as 1907 - well into New York's pre-state era -
and extend annually all the way into the mid-1930s. The most common variety are
Milk Licenses issued by the Health Bureau (or, later, the Health Department), but
many other types of plates exist as well, including Peddler, Scavenger, Cartman,
and Huckster plates. While some of these may well have adorned motorized
trucks or cars, others probably went on simpler vehicles like push carts. These
are all very rare and there are many gaps in the known runs of each type, but we
have nevertheless verified more than 30 different varieties existing in
collections today, and the real number of plates issued could well have
approached 50.
The first type alphabetically are Cartman plates. Cartmen, also known as Carmen
or Carters, frequently drove horse-drawn vehicles and were often employed by
railway companies for local deliveries and collections of goods and parcels. Six
different years of this class of porcelain license are known stretching between
1912 and 1924, suggesting that they were issued annually for at least 13 years!
The next variety of these fascinating porcelain license plates are Huckster
licenses. Apparently issued by the city's Department of Health and Welfare, only
two years are known of this obscure type - 1918 and 1923.
Milk Licenses date from as early as 1908 and stretch an astonishing 28 years
through 1936. In the beginning, the issuer of these plates was termed the Health
Bureau. There are a number of unexplained anomalies in these milk plates.
Some, for instance, carry letters. The 1908 plate has an "A" prefix before the
plate number, whereas the surviving 1912 plate has a "K" suffix. The meanings of
these letters are a mystery. Beginning in at least 1921, furthermore, not only was
the standard milk plate issued, but separate and distinct porcelains were
simultaneously manufactured indicating "Grade A" or "Grade B" and
"Pasteurized" or "Raw." Thus, during this time there were multiple different
variations of Milk Licenses issued each year!
Then in 1929, the name of the issuer of this class of license was changed from the
Health Bureau to the Health Department. Clearly, there was a great abundance of
this particular class of license, and of the five classes of these supposed
Schenctady porcelains, the Milk Licenses are by far the most common. In fact, at
the present time, 21 different milk porcelains are known, making them nearly four
times as prevalent as Cartman plates - the next most common class issued.
In addition to Cartman, Huckster and Milk license, at least one Peddler plate was
issued. Interestingly, the only survivor is the earliest plate known of any kind
among these various porcelain plates. Dated 1907, this plate is a true pre-state
and it is unclear if Peddler plates were issued in any other years.
The final class of porcelains thought to have been issued in Schenectady are
Scavenger plates. There are only two surviving examples to document the
existence of this type of plate - massively long 1908 and 1909 porcelains
measuring a full 20 inches in length. Not only are these plates four inches longer
than any other class of these various New York plates, but they are actually the
third longest porcelain license plates of any kind known from the U.S. or Canada.
SYRACUSE
Syracuse is a city in Central New York and is the county seat of Onondaga County
The city has functioned as a major crossroads over the last two centuries, first
between the Erie Canal and its branch canals, then of the railway network. The
end of the Revolutionary War brought an influx of settlers, and salt was soon
discovered in several swamps in Syracuse, which brought more settlers and
eventually gave the city the nickname "Salt City." In 1825, Syracuse was officially
incorporated. Five years later, the Erie Canal, which ran through the village, was
completed, bringing about a period of great growth. Syracuse also became an
active center for the abolitionist movement, and although the salt industry
declined after the Civil War, a new manufacturing industry arose in its place. In
1917, the only known porcelain license plate from the city of Syracuse was
issued. This small porcelain disc is a Milk License and was issued by the
Department of Public Service. This lone survivor is especially interesting due to
the fact that it is round. There are no other examples of round porcelain license
plates of any kind known from New York. In fact, no state or province ever issued
a round porcelain license plate, and the nearest cities known to have done so are
Providence, Rhode Island and St. Louis, Missouri.
I: PRE-STATES / CITY & COUNTY PLATES
Unlike pre-states from states such as Tennessee and North Carolina, where there
is some degree of standardization, there are no commonly seen porcelains in
New York’s pre-state era in the sense that there does not seem to have been one
company that was known for making license plates for those who ordered them.
Instead, it appears as if multiple enamel firms produced a plate or two here and
there throughout New York's 7 year pre-state era from 1903 through 1909. Thus,
all of the known plates are different from one another, sharing only their black &
white color schemes, which was required by law. They all seem to carry a very
thin black border as well.
The first variety is a standard rectangular porcelain with two mounting holes at
the top and carrying a "N.Y." abbreviation horizontally following the plate number.
The second lowest numbered New York porcelain pre-state is an odd two-piece
porcelain with the state abbreviation on a small porcelain plate and the
registration number by itself on a much larger second plate.
Yet another version is a lot like the first one above, with a horizonally laid out
state initials and two small holes at the top. The only distinguishing characteristic
that marks this plate as a distinct variety is the substantially smaller and thinner
"N.Y." abbreviation.
Another variety of New York pre-state is a standard rectangular plate with two
holes at the top, much like #128 above, except that this version has "NY" suffix
stacked vertically.
A fifth New York porcelain pre-state is nearly identical to #12651, except that the
state abbreviation is much larger and includes periods.
The final variety has noticably different number fonts from the other New York
pre-states, and is the only example to have slots and the only one to carry four
mounting holes as well
In addition to pre-state porcelains, there are also four cities in New York that are
known to have issued porcelain license plates.
MT. KISCO
Mount Kisco is both a village and a town in Westchester County in the
Southeastern corner of New York, about 35 miles north of New York City.
Founded by Quakers in the 17th century, Mount Kisco was incorporated in 1875.
A tiny little plate meauring a mere 2 inches tall is our only surviving evidence that
porcelain license plates were ever issued in Mt. Kisco. It is unclear whether this
was an official city automobile license or some sort of specialized plate. Dated
1920, this little license plate is somewhat of a mystery.
ROCHESTER
The village of Rochesterville was founded in 1803 and lies east of Buffalo, west of
Syracuse and sits on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. By 1821, Rochesterville
was the seat of Monroe County, and the town soon became known as Rochester.
By 1830, Rochester's population was nearly 10,000 and would soon become the
largest flour-producing city in the state. In the early 20th century, Rochester also
became a center of the garment industry, particularly in men's fashions. The
population passed 160,000 in 1900, and reached nearly 300,000 by 1920. It was
during this growth spurt that the only two porcelain license plates known to hail
from Rochester were issued - motorcycle plates from 1914 and 1915. These
elusive plates are highly sought after and perhaps a half-dozen of each year are
known with numbers reaching well into the 2000s. Although the state first began
licensing automobiles in 1910, motorcycles did not carry state issued plates until
1916. Thus, these Rochester cycle plates are legitimate pre-states in the sense
that they pre-date the first state-issued motorcycle plates.
SCHENECTADY
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, of which it is the county
seat. The City is located in the eastern portion of the state, near the confluence
of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers and is in the same metropolitan area as the
state capital of Albany. The area that is now Schenectady was originally the land
of the Mohawk tribe of the Iroquois Nation. It was first settled by Europeans in
1661, was incorporated as a borough in 1765, and chartered as a city in 1798. In
1892, Schenectady became the headquarters of the General Electric Company
and became known as "The City that Lights the World." By the turn of the century,
the population was well over 30,000 and grew to somewhere in the neighborhood
of 60,000 by the time the last known porcelain license plates from the city were
issued.
There is a long series of specialized porcelains which licensed various classes of
vehicle. Although these have no city name on them, and could theoretically be
from anywhere, I believe it is most likely they hail from Schenectady.
Conventional wisdom has long held that these are Rochester issues. However,
given that the final three known years give the town name of Schenectady,
coupled with the fact that the unidentified plates flow seamlessly into the others
with no overlap of dates strongly suggests that they are all Schenectady issues,
but that the town for some reason didn't bother putting its name on the early
plates. One other bit of supporting evidence for this claim is the fact that a 1928
Milk plate was found behind a dairy in Schenectady.
These plates are all extremely long, narrow porcelains, measuring up to 20 inches
in length. They date from as early as 1907 - well into New York's pre-state era -
and extend annually all the way into the mid-1930s. The most common variety are
Milk Licenses issued by the Health Bureau (or, later, the Health Department), but
many other types of plates exist as well, including Peddler, Scavenger, Cartman,
and Huckster plates. While some of these may well have adorned motorized
trucks or cars, others probably went on simpler vehicles like push carts. These
are all very rare and there are many gaps in the known runs of each type, but we
have nevertheless verified more than 30 different varieties existing in
collections today, and the real number of plates issued could well have
approached 50.
The first type alphabetically are Cartman plates. Cartmen, also known as Carmen
or Carters, frequently drove horse-drawn vehicles and were often employed by
railway companies for local deliveries and collections of goods and parcels. Six
different years of this class of porcelain license are known stretching between
1912 and 1924, suggesting that they were issued annually for at least 13 years!
The next variety of these fascinating porcelain license plates are Huckster
licenses. Apparently issued by the city's Department of Health and Welfare, only
two years are known of this obscure type - 1918 and 1923.
Milk Licenses date from as early as 1908 and stretch an astonishing 28 years
through 1936. In the beginning, the issuer of these plates was termed the Health
Bureau. There are a number of unexplained anomalies in these milk plates.
Some, for instance, carry letters. The 1908 plate has an "A" prefix before the
plate number, whereas the surviving 1912 plate has a "K" suffix. The meanings of
these letters are a mystery. Beginning in at least 1921, furthermore, not only was
the standard milk plate issued, but separate and distinct porcelains were
simultaneously manufactured indicating "Grade A" or "Grade B" and
"Pasteurized" or "Raw." Thus, during this time there were multiple different
variations of Milk Licenses issued each year!
Then in 1929, the name of the issuer of this class of license was changed from the
Health Bureau to the Health Department. Clearly, there was a great abundance of
this particular class of license, and of the five classes of these supposed
Schenctady porcelains, the Milk Licenses are by far the most common. In fact, at
the present time, 21 different milk porcelains are known, making them nearly four
times as prevalent as Cartman plates - the next most common class issued.
In addition to Cartman, Huckster and Milk license, at least one Peddler plate was
issued. Interestingly, the only survivor is the earliest plate known of any kind
among these various porcelain plates. Dated 1907, this plate is a true pre-state
and it is unclear if Peddler plates were issued in any other years.
The final class of porcelains thought to have been issued in Schenectady are
Scavenger plates. There are only two surviving examples to document the
existence of this type of plate - massively long 1908 and 1909 porcelains
measuring a full 20 inches in length. Not only are these plates four inches longer
than any other class of these various New York plates, but they are actually the
third longest porcelain license plates of any kind known from the U.S. or Canada.
SYRACUSE
Syracuse is a city in Central New York and is the county seat of Onondaga County
The city has functioned as a major crossroads over the last two centuries, first
between the Erie Canal and its branch canals, then of the railway network. The
end of the Revolutionary War brought an influx of settlers, and salt was soon
discovered in several swamps in Syracuse, which brought more settlers and
eventually gave the city the nickname "Salt City." In 1825, Syracuse was officially
incorporated. Five years later, the Erie Canal, which ran through the village, was
completed, bringing about a period of great growth. Syracuse also became an
active center for the abolitionist movement, and although the salt industry
declined after the Civil War, a new manufacturing industry arose in its place. In
1917, the only known porcelain license plate from the city of Syracuse was
issued. This small porcelain disc is a Milk License and was issued by the
Department of Public Service. This lone survivor is especially interesting due to
the fact that it is round. There are no other examples of round porcelain license
plates of any kind known from New York. In fact, no state or province ever issued
a round porcelain license plate, and the nearest cities known to have done so are
Providence, Rhode Island and St. Louis, Missouri.
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Due to the size of the New York archive, I have split it into two parts. Part 2 contains information on the following: II: STATE-ISSUED PASSENGER PLATES III: STATE-ISSUED NON-PASSENGER PLATES IV: ODDBALL PORCELAINS (Including the Long Island Motor Parkway plates) FURTHER READING CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE NEW YORK ARCHIVE |
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