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Baltimore Enamel Number Codes
The Baltimore Enamel & Novelty Company was the single most prolific producer of
porcelain license ever. In the early years, the bulk of Baltimore Enamel's business
was in New England, although it would soon expand into jurisdictions such as
Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. In fact, by 1909, the company's
influence extended all the way to the Deep South, where it held contracts to
provide plates to the cities of Birmingham and Montgomery in Alabama.
Many of the company's early plates were undated, perhaps explaining the
development of the distinctive hand-painted dating system that workers applied to
the reverse of many plates between about 1904 and 1909. And yet, the codes can
also be found on dated plates such as the Philadelphia 1906 issues, the Louisville
1908-09 plates and some of the low numbered 1909 Massachusetts state plates.
This date of manufacture system entailed the application of two or three digit
codes to the backs of porcelain plates. The first one or two digits represented the
month in which a given plate was manufactured, while the final digit represented
the year. Thus, a date code of "126" indicates that a plate was produced in
December of 1906.
The crude dating system was not yet in place when Baltimore Enamel gained its
first contract to produce Massachusetts plates in 1903, but by 1904, the plates
began to be marked. This system would continue for many years, finally ending with
plates produced in late 1908 and early 1909.
This section of the archive attempts of narrow down precisely which numbers were
manufactured in each batch of plates produced by Baltimore Enamel in this era.
porcelain license ever. In the early years, the bulk of Baltimore Enamel's business
was in New England, although it would soon expand into jurisdictions such as
Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. In fact, by 1909, the company's
influence extended all the way to the Deep South, where it held contracts to
provide plates to the cities of Birmingham and Montgomery in Alabama.
Many of the company's early plates were undated, perhaps explaining the
development of the distinctive hand-painted dating system that workers applied to
the reverse of many plates between about 1904 and 1909. And yet, the codes can
also be found on dated plates such as the Philadelphia 1906 issues, the Louisville
1908-09 plates and some of the low numbered 1909 Massachusetts state plates.
This date of manufacture system entailed the application of two or three digit
codes to the backs of porcelain plates. The first one or two digits represented the
month in which a given plate was manufactured, while the final digit represented
the year. Thus, a date code of "126" indicates that a plate was produced in
December of 1906.
The crude dating system was not yet in place when Baltimore Enamel gained its
first contract to produce Massachusetts plates in 1903, but by 1904, the plates
began to be marked. This system would continue for many years, finally ending with
plates produced in late 1908 and early 1909.
This section of the archive attempts of narrow down precisely which numbers were
manufactured in each batch of plates produced by Baltimore Enamel in this era.
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PORCELAIN PLATES.NET A Website for Porcelain License Plate Collectors & Enthusiasts |
There are 12 known jurisdictions in which Baltimore Enamel used date codes. Please select from the list below to learn more about these plates _________________________ CONNECTICUT DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LOUISVILLE, KY MAINE MASSACHUSETTS MOBILE, AL NEW HAMPSHIRE PHILADELPHIA, PA RHODE ISLAND VERMONT VIRGINIA WEST VIRGINIA |