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FERNANDINA
Located in extreme Northeastern Florida, Fernandina Beach is a city in Nassau
County. Situated on Amelia Island, the most southern of the sea islands that trail
down the Carolina and Georgia coasts, Fernandina beach has had a turbulent
history, flying eight different flags since 1562. Fernandina is rich in history, and is
considered the birthplace of the modern shrimping industry. The city is known to
have produced at least six different porcelain license plates, licensing both
automobile and motorcycles, as well as Drays. For years, 1915 was the earliest
known survivor until 2017 when a dated 1913-14 Dray showed up. Not only is this
the earliest known Fernandina porcelain, but also the only known Dray variety.
However, Fernandina plates offer somewhat of a mystery to plate collectors,
because 4 of the 6 known varieties are undated. Based on Florida pre-state
history, it is perhaps reasonable to guess that the undated passenger issues
date from 1914-15, 1915-16 and 1916-17, but this is really just speculation.
Whatever the case, registrations appear to have been small, as all known
numbers on the passenger issues fall below #90, and cycles don’t even reach
#15. Another mystery is the firm that manufactured the majority of these plates,
as only the green & orange variety is marked – in this case with the seal of the
Baltimore Enamel & Novelty Company.
GADSDEN
Gadsden County lies in Florida’s Panhandle, along the Georgia border. It was
created out of Jackson County on June 24, 1823, by the Territorial Legislature,
and became Florida Territory's fifth county. Gadsden was settled by slave owners
from other southern states and became famous for its shade tobacco, which was
used to wrap cigars. A special clay known as Fuller’s Earth was also discovered
in the region at the turn of the century and was used for the cleaning and
bleaching of cloth. The bottling of Coca Cola also began in Gadsden County at
this same time. Thus, when license plates came on the scene, Gadsden was a
thriving county. We’re not sure exactly when plates first were issued, but the
earliest known survivor dates from 1915-16. Altogether, there are only three
surviving porcelain plates from this rare county.
HAMILTON
Created in 1827 from a portion of Escambia County, Hamilton County lies in North
Florida along the Georgia border. The county is separated from the rest of
Florida by the Withlacoochee River on the west and the Suwannee River to the
east and south. Hamilton porcelains are known to have been issued from 1913
through 1917, although they are exceedingly rare, with only 8 total plates known
from the entire county. At least in 1916-17, we know that separate For Hire
licenses were issued as well.
HERNANDO
Around 1840, Fort DeSoto was established in present-day Hernando County on
Florida’s western coast in to protect settlers in the area from Native Americans.
Fort DeSoto became a small community center, trading post, and way station on
the route to Tampa. Hernando County was officially established on February 27,
1843, and during the Civil War, primarily contributed foodstuffs, cotton, and
lumber to the Confederacy. In terms of license plates, Hernando porcelains are
known from 1915-1917, and are notable for being entirely different from one
another in terms of layout, size, and appearance. The 1914-15 has narrow vertical
bands at left and right, much like the later West Virginia state-issued porcelains,
but unlike any other known Florida porcelain. The 1915-16 and 1916-17 plates are
more standard, although the 1915-16 features a somewhat unusual font style.
Each of the three issues, furthermore, uses different terminology to indicate that
the plate was issued to a passenger vehicle: “Owners Use” on the 1914-15;
“Private” on the 1915-16; and “Private Use” on the 1916-17. These differences
are intriguing, and may indicate either a change of manufacturer or a continual
refining of the county licensing statutes. No non-passenger porcelains from
Hernando were known until 2013 when a 1914-15 For Hire version surfaced.
HILLSBOROUGH
Hillsborough is a large county in West-Central
Florida on the Gulf Coast. The county was created
on January 25, 1834 from Alachua and Monroe
counties. The city of Tampa, which issued its own
plates beginning in 1913-14 and was a major
commercial center serving Southwestern Florida,
was the primary center of settlement, as much of
the rest of the county was sparsely settled in the
early years. However, there were other
outcroppings of civilization and in 1910, the
county’s population was close to 80,000 and over
the next decade grew to nearly 90,000. It was
during this time that Hillsborough first began
issuing plates. The first porcelains appeared in
1912-13, when there were already more than 800
registrations. The number of vehicles climbed
steadily over the next few years, with numbers
hitting nearly 1,500 in 1914-15 and more than 2,700
in 1916-17. It is unclear who manufactured the majority of these plates, but the
1914-15 issues are marked with the seal of the Baltimore Enamel & Novelty
Company.
Beginning in 1913-14, separate motorcycle plates were also produced. The first
version is quite unusual in its 4 1/2” square format and the designation “H.CO.”
These rare plates, of which well over 200 were apparently issued, are the only
Florida porcelains from any city or county to have a square shape. The 1914-15
and 1915-16 cycles are equally interesting, but for a different reason. These
plates are laid out in a vertical format and are curved from left to right to fit the
fender of a motorcycle. Only a single surviving example from each year exists to
document these fascinating plates. Hillsborough joins Alachua, Broward, and
Tampa as the only other Florida jurisdictions to have issued curved porcelain
cycle plates.
Another feature of Hillsborough porcelains which is interesting is the spelling of
the county name. Oddly enough, Florida porcelains are actually known for
variable and often incorrect spelling which appear on plates from Jefferson,
Okaloosa, Sumter, and Suwannee. In the case of Hillsborough, the county name
appears in two different variations. On the first two issues, the correct spelling
of “Hillsborough” adorns the plates. However, from 1914-15 through 1916-17, the
county name changed to “Hillsboro.” It remains unclear if this was a
manufacturing mistake or a conscious choice to use an accepted contraction of
the full and correct spelling of the county name.
Although the motorcycle versions are virtually unknown, the passenger issues
from Hillsborough are relatively common by Florida pre-state standards. There
are at least a dozen surviving examples of each of the first three issues, and
probably as many as 25 or 30 known plates from both 1915-16 and 1916-17.
HOLMES
Created in 1848, Holmes is a county in the Florida Panhandle on the Alabama
border. In 1903 the Birmingham Columbus and Southport Railroad was built to
establish trade development of coastal areas, which helped bolster the county’s
economy and population. Nevertheless, the county remained sparsely settled. It
lies in a region which is known for some of the rarest plates from all of Florida. In
fact, the bordering counties are Jackson (2 plates known), Washington (2 plates
known) and Walton (fewer than 10 plates known). Not surprisingly, Holmes
porcelains are also among the rarest from the entire state. In fact, a single
passenger issue from 1916-17 is the only plate in collectors’ hands. There are
only five other porcelains from Florida that are the only known surviving example
from their respective jurisdictions (Bay County, 1915-16; Monroe County, 1912-13;
Okaloosa County, 1915-16; Wakulla County, 1912-13 and Taylor County, 1915-16).
JACKSON
Like Holmes, the neighboring county to the West, Jackson was a sparsely settled
region in the early days after its creation in 1822. Lying in the Florida Panhandle
and bordering both Alabama as well as Georgia, Jackson plates are incredibly
rare. Only two porcelains are known from this county – a 1915-16 passenger
issue and a 1916-17 For Hire plate.
JACKSONVILLE
The most populous city in the state of Florida, Jacksonville is the county seat of
Duval County. Located in Northeast Florida, Jacksonville lies on the banks of the
St. Johns River. The area was first settled in 1791, but was not named
Jacksonville until 1822. A key Confederate supply point during the Civil War,
Jacksonville became a winter vacation spot to the wealthy in the post-war years.
The era of Jacksonville’s porcelain license plates began in 1910, while the city
was in the midst of rebuilding after a massive fire less than a decade earlier. At
this time, the population was close to 60,000. The city would soon grow to
become a banking and insurance center. At the same time, New York-based film
makers were attracted to Jacksonville's warm climate, exotic locations, excellent
rail access, and cheap labor. Over the course of the next decade, more than 30
silent film studios were established, earning Jacksonville the title "Winter Film
Capital of the World."
Considering Jacksonville’s prominence as a city, it is perhaps unsurprising that it
pioneered the state of Florida’s experimentation with porcelain license plates.
Indeed, no other city or county in the state is known to have issued a porcelain
earlier than Jacksonville's first 1910-11 issue. The city ordinance was pretty
typical for the first two years, with passenger vehicles, motorcycles, and - at least
with the 1911-12 plates – dealers (designated “GARAGE”) all separately licensed
and carrying distinct plates. We’re not entirely certain of the dating of these
undated plates, but until we can find proof otherwise, Florida experts Jeff Francis
and Chuck Westphal have concluded that the 1910-11 is the black/white plate and
that the 1911-12 is the white/blue plate. Supporting evidence comes from the
survival of a white/blue plate with a 1911-12 round Duval porcelain riveted to it.
In 1910-11, it appears that approximately 1,000 pairs of passenger plates were
produced along with perhaps 100 cycle plates. Interestingly, whereas the
passenger plates were manufactured by the Baltimore Enamel & Novelty Company
(which continued making the Jacksonville porcelains for the next two years as
well), for some reason the motorcycle plates were ordered from a different
manufacturer – the J.F.W. Dorman Company, also of Baltimore. These
Jacksonville 191o-11 cycle plates are the only porcelain license plates of any kind
known to have been manufactured by this company. The following year,
passenger plates are known to have surpassed 1,600 and cycle plates reached
nearly 300.
Beginning with the third issue (1912-13), things changed dramatically. In standard
big-city fashion, Jacksonville began to tax every form of vehicle it could imagine,
from ice and ice cream vendors, to street peddlers, to Fruit & Vegetable
vendors. All told, the city issued more than 20 different collectible types of
porcelain license plates – by far the most plates from any jurisdiction in Florida.
Some 2,000 passenger plates (in pairs) and 600 motorcycle plates were issued on
each of the 1912-13 and 1913-14 bases. Interestingly, the city switched to non-
porcelains after the 1913-14 plates, issuing flat metal plates for the next three
years.
Jacksonville porcelains would surely have been among the more common Florida
porcelains simply due to the size and prominence of the city, and the number of
plates issued. However, when the former Gator Bowl was being renovated in the
early 1990s in preparation for the new Jaguars football team, the city’s old landfill
was unearthed, containing literally hundreds of Jacksonville plates, ensuring its
prominence as the single most common Florida jurisdiction from which a collector
can expect to find a plate for his or her collection. The earliest two years are
somewhat rarer, and some of the non-passenger varieties are virtually unknown,
but Jacksonville plates in general suffer in terms of desirability and value from
the perception that they are common.
JEFFERSON
Jefferson lies in North-Central Florida, its borders stretching all the way from the
Georgia state line to the Gulf of Mexico. The county, named for Thomas
Jefferson, was established January 6, 1827. Early settlement was spurred both by
Jefferson’s proximity to Tallahassee and by the suitability of its soil for cotton
cultivation. In addition, pears and pecans, as well as turpentine and lumber from
the southern part of the county were all important. Watermelon, too, was a
significant agricultural product, with Jefferson County producing 80% of the
world's supply by the early 1920s. Jefferson license plates are extraordinarily
rare. Only three known plates existed until Florida collector Jeff Francis turned
up two more in 2006, including the first known 1916-17. Altogether, we know of
four different varieties of porcelains from this tough county dating from as early
as 1914.
One surviving plate is a bit of a mystery, as the date is chipped off. It is in the
same color as the 1917 passenger issue, but has a different font style and is
slightly shorter. Thus, my guess is that this plate dates from 1915-16. It is the
only non-passenger porcelain we have seen from Jefferson. A second
interesting aspect of Jefferson plates is an apparent spelling mistake. One can’t
be positive from such flimsy evidence, but both surviving examples of the 1914-
15 issue have a blemish in exactly the same place – right in the letter “S” in
“License.” Florida expert Chuck Westphal first noticed this and believes that the
original plates were created with the word license spelled “licence,” after which
the manufacturer chipped out the second “C” and re-fired the plates with the
word spelled correctly. This is by no means the only example of a Florida
porcelain with incorrect or variable spelling – other examples exist from
Hillsborough, Okaloosa, Sumter and Suwannee – but this is the only one known to
have been caught and corrected before being shipped to county officials for
distribution. Another notable aspect of these 1915 plates is the two different
variations of the numeral “1” that were used in the date.
KEY WEST
Key West is a city and an island of the same name near the southernmost tip of
the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida. Key West was always an important
military post since it sits at the northern edge of the deep water channel
connecting the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. Major industries in Key West in
the early 19th century included fishing, salt production, and salvage. Late in the
century, Key West gained a thriving cigar making industry. In 1890 Key West had
a population of nearly 18,800 and was the biggest and richest city in Florida. By
1910, the population had swelled to nearly 20,000. Nevertheless, Key West was
relatively isolated until 1912 when it was connected to the Florida mainland via
the overseas extension of Henry M. Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway. Shortly
thereafter, the first plates appeared on the island. We’re not sure just when Key
West began issuing plates, but there are two surviving examples to prove that it
did – dated Public & Private 1916-17 issues. The most fascinating feature of the
“Public” plate is its wording. Of the 250+ Florida porcelain varieties, this is the
only example with this particular term. It is probably a variant of the more
common “For Hire” designation that appears on so many Florida porcelains,
indicating its usage on public buses, taxis, etc. Another interesting aspect of the
Key West 1916-17 plates is that the Public and Private variations were produced
on different sized bases for some reason. Whereas the Public plates were made
on 4" x 6" bases, the Private porcelains measure a tiny 2 1/2" x 4".
LAFAYETTE
Established from a portion of Madison County in 1856, Lafayette is a sparsely
populated county situated in Northern Florida. Only two surviving plates
document the county’s issuance of porcelain license plates: an unusually laid out
1913-14 issue and a more traditional 1915-16 plate. It is notable that an embossed
metal 1915-16 plate also exists from Lafayette for some unexplained reason. A
1914-15 plate was very likely issued as well, although we have seen no evidence
of such a plate.
LAKE
Lying in central Florida, Lake County was created in 1887 from portions of Sumter
County and Orange County. It was named for the numerous lakes in the area, of
which there are nearly 1,500. The area is known for mild weather, excellent
growing conditions, and an abundance of fish and game. Contracts were let for
the construction of the first hard surface roads in Lake County in 1915. Prior to
that most transportation was on the waterways with special hybrid steam/
paddlewheel boats. An elaborate system of railroads was also developed. The
first license plates from Lake date to 1913-14, when an aluminum plate was
issued. Beginning the following year, however, the county switched to porcelain
plates. Lake porcelains are among the most fascinating porcelains in Florida’s
pre-state era, because they are tiny – the smallest porcelains ever produced by
any state, province, city or county. These small porcelains measure a mere 2 1/2”
in height by 4” in length. They are known in passenger, For Hire, and even
Motorcycle, although not all varieties are known for all years. It is the only case
of a Florida porcelain where the motorcycle version is the same size as the
passenger plate. In 1914-15, registrations neared 400. They grew to almost 600 in
1915-16 and almost 700 by 1916-17. Although rare, there are a half-dozen or more
surviving examples of each of the three passenger issues.
LEE
Named after Civil War general Robert E. Lee, Lee County was created in 1887 from
Monroe County. It lies in Southwestern Florida and is bordered by Charlotte
Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico and by Charlotte, Hendry, and Collier counties –
none of which produced porcelain license plates. The central portion of the
county had fertile sugarcane regions, but it was the City of Fort Myers which was
the historical, governmental, and commercial hub of Lee County. Little is known
about Lee’s history of license plates, except that three annual porcelain
passenger plates were issued from 1914-15 through 1916-17. Interestingly,
whereas the first issue was produced by the Baltimore Enamel & Novelty
Company, for some reason the county awarded the contract to produce its plates
to the Beaver Falls, PA based Ingram-Richardson company the following year.
What’s notable about this is the fact that BALTO had a long-standing reputation
for producing Florida porcelains, while Ing-Rich did not. In fact, the 1916 Lee
porcelain is the only Florida plate that is known to have been produced by this
company. The 1916- 17 plates are unmarked.
Located in extreme Northeastern Florida, Fernandina Beach is a city in Nassau
County. Situated on Amelia Island, the most southern of the sea islands that trail
down the Carolina and Georgia coasts, Fernandina beach has had a turbulent
history, flying eight different flags since 1562. Fernandina is rich in history, and is
considered the birthplace of the modern shrimping industry. The city is known to
have produced at least six different porcelain license plates, licensing both
automobile and motorcycles, as well as Drays. For years, 1915 was the earliest
known survivor until 2017 when a dated 1913-14 Dray showed up. Not only is this
the earliest known Fernandina porcelain, but also the only known Dray variety.
However, Fernandina plates offer somewhat of a mystery to plate collectors,
because 4 of the 6 known varieties are undated. Based on Florida pre-state
history, it is perhaps reasonable to guess that the undated passenger issues
date from 1914-15, 1915-16 and 1916-17, but this is really just speculation.
Whatever the case, registrations appear to have been small, as all known
numbers on the passenger issues fall below #90, and cycles don’t even reach
#15. Another mystery is the firm that manufactured the majority of these plates,
as only the green & orange variety is marked – in this case with the seal of the
Baltimore Enamel & Novelty Company.
GADSDEN
Gadsden County lies in Florida’s Panhandle, along the Georgia border. It was
created out of Jackson County on June 24, 1823, by the Territorial Legislature,
and became Florida Territory's fifth county. Gadsden was settled by slave owners
from other southern states and became famous for its shade tobacco, which was
used to wrap cigars. A special clay known as Fuller’s Earth was also discovered
in the region at the turn of the century and was used for the cleaning and
bleaching of cloth. The bottling of Coca Cola also began in Gadsden County at
this same time. Thus, when license plates came on the scene, Gadsden was a
thriving county. We’re not sure exactly when plates first were issued, but the
earliest known survivor dates from 1915-16. Altogether, there are only three
surviving porcelain plates from this rare county.
HAMILTON
Created in 1827 from a portion of Escambia County, Hamilton County lies in North
Florida along the Georgia border. The county is separated from the rest of
Florida by the Withlacoochee River on the west and the Suwannee River to the
east and south. Hamilton porcelains are known to have been issued from 1913
through 1917, although they are exceedingly rare, with only 8 total plates known
from the entire county. At least in 1916-17, we know that separate For Hire
licenses were issued as well.
HERNANDO
Around 1840, Fort DeSoto was established in present-day Hernando County on
Florida’s western coast in to protect settlers in the area from Native Americans.
Fort DeSoto became a small community center, trading post, and way station on
the route to Tampa. Hernando County was officially established on February 27,
1843, and during the Civil War, primarily contributed foodstuffs, cotton, and
lumber to the Confederacy. In terms of license plates, Hernando porcelains are
known from 1915-1917, and are notable for being entirely different from one
another in terms of layout, size, and appearance. The 1914-15 has narrow vertical
bands at left and right, much like the later West Virginia state-issued porcelains,
but unlike any other known Florida porcelain. The 1915-16 and 1916-17 plates are
more standard, although the 1915-16 features a somewhat unusual font style.
Each of the three issues, furthermore, uses different terminology to indicate that
the plate was issued to a passenger vehicle: “Owners Use” on the 1914-15;
“Private” on the 1915-16; and “Private Use” on the 1916-17. These differences
are intriguing, and may indicate either a change of manufacturer or a continual
refining of the county licensing statutes. No non-passenger porcelains from
Hernando were known until 2013 when a 1914-15 For Hire version surfaced.
HILLSBOROUGH
Hillsborough is a large county in West-Central
Florida on the Gulf Coast. The county was created
on January 25, 1834 from Alachua and Monroe
counties. The city of Tampa, which issued its own
plates beginning in 1913-14 and was a major
commercial center serving Southwestern Florida,
was the primary center of settlement, as much of
the rest of the county was sparsely settled in the
early years. However, there were other
outcroppings of civilization and in 1910, the
county’s population was close to 80,000 and over
the next decade grew to nearly 90,000. It was
during this time that Hillsborough first began
issuing plates. The first porcelains appeared in
1912-13, when there were already more than 800
registrations. The number of vehicles climbed
steadily over the next few years, with numbers
hitting nearly 1,500 in 1914-15 and more than 2,700
in 1916-17. It is unclear who manufactured the majority of these plates, but the
1914-15 issues are marked with the seal of the Baltimore Enamel & Novelty
Company.
Beginning in 1913-14, separate motorcycle plates were also produced. The first
version is quite unusual in its 4 1/2” square format and the designation “H.CO.”
These rare plates, of which well over 200 were apparently issued, are the only
Florida porcelains from any city or county to have a square shape. The 1914-15
and 1915-16 cycles are equally interesting, but for a different reason. These
plates are laid out in a vertical format and are curved from left to right to fit the
fender of a motorcycle. Only a single surviving example from each year exists to
document these fascinating plates. Hillsborough joins Alachua, Broward, and
Tampa as the only other Florida jurisdictions to have issued curved porcelain
cycle plates.
Another feature of Hillsborough porcelains which is interesting is the spelling of
the county name. Oddly enough, Florida porcelains are actually known for
variable and often incorrect spelling which appear on plates from Jefferson,
Okaloosa, Sumter, and Suwannee. In the case of Hillsborough, the county name
appears in two different variations. On the first two issues, the correct spelling
of “Hillsborough” adorns the plates. However, from 1914-15 through 1916-17, the
county name changed to “Hillsboro.” It remains unclear if this was a
manufacturing mistake or a conscious choice to use an accepted contraction of
the full and correct spelling of the county name.
Although the motorcycle versions are virtually unknown, the passenger issues
from Hillsborough are relatively common by Florida pre-state standards. There
are at least a dozen surviving examples of each of the first three issues, and
probably as many as 25 or 30 known plates from both 1915-16 and 1916-17.
HOLMES
Created in 1848, Holmes is a county in the Florida Panhandle on the Alabama
border. In 1903 the Birmingham Columbus and Southport Railroad was built to
establish trade development of coastal areas, which helped bolster the county’s
economy and population. Nevertheless, the county remained sparsely settled. It
lies in a region which is known for some of the rarest plates from all of Florida. In
fact, the bordering counties are Jackson (2 plates known), Washington (2 plates
known) and Walton (fewer than 10 plates known). Not surprisingly, Holmes
porcelains are also among the rarest from the entire state. In fact, a single
passenger issue from 1916-17 is the only plate in collectors’ hands. There are
only five other porcelains from Florida that are the only known surviving example
from their respective jurisdictions (Bay County, 1915-16; Monroe County, 1912-13;
Okaloosa County, 1915-16; Wakulla County, 1912-13 and Taylor County, 1915-16).
JACKSON
Like Holmes, the neighboring county to the West, Jackson was a sparsely settled
region in the early days after its creation in 1822. Lying in the Florida Panhandle
and bordering both Alabama as well as Georgia, Jackson plates are incredibly
rare. Only two porcelains are known from this county – a 1915-16 passenger
issue and a 1916-17 For Hire plate.
JACKSONVILLE
The most populous city in the state of Florida, Jacksonville is the county seat of
Duval County. Located in Northeast Florida, Jacksonville lies on the banks of the
St. Johns River. The area was first settled in 1791, but was not named
Jacksonville until 1822. A key Confederate supply point during the Civil War,
Jacksonville became a winter vacation spot to the wealthy in the post-war years.
The era of Jacksonville’s porcelain license plates began in 1910, while the city
was in the midst of rebuilding after a massive fire less than a decade earlier. At
this time, the population was close to 60,000. The city would soon grow to
become a banking and insurance center. At the same time, New York-based film
makers were attracted to Jacksonville's warm climate, exotic locations, excellent
rail access, and cheap labor. Over the course of the next decade, more than 30
silent film studios were established, earning Jacksonville the title "Winter Film
Capital of the World."
Considering Jacksonville’s prominence as a city, it is perhaps unsurprising that it
pioneered the state of Florida’s experimentation with porcelain license plates.
Indeed, no other city or county in the state is known to have issued a porcelain
earlier than Jacksonville's first 1910-11 issue. The city ordinance was pretty
typical for the first two years, with passenger vehicles, motorcycles, and - at least
with the 1911-12 plates – dealers (designated “GARAGE”) all separately licensed
and carrying distinct plates. We’re not entirely certain of the dating of these
undated plates, but until we can find proof otherwise, Florida experts Jeff Francis
and Chuck Westphal have concluded that the 1910-11 is the black/white plate and
that the 1911-12 is the white/blue plate. Supporting evidence comes from the
survival of a white/blue plate with a 1911-12 round Duval porcelain riveted to it.
In 1910-11, it appears that approximately 1,000 pairs of passenger plates were
produced along with perhaps 100 cycle plates. Interestingly, whereas the
passenger plates were manufactured by the Baltimore Enamel & Novelty Company
(which continued making the Jacksonville porcelains for the next two years as
well), for some reason the motorcycle plates were ordered from a different
manufacturer – the J.F.W. Dorman Company, also of Baltimore. These
Jacksonville 191o-11 cycle plates are the only porcelain license plates of any kind
known to have been manufactured by this company. The following year,
passenger plates are known to have surpassed 1,600 and cycle plates reached
nearly 300.
Beginning with the third issue (1912-13), things changed dramatically. In standard
big-city fashion, Jacksonville began to tax every form of vehicle it could imagine,
from ice and ice cream vendors, to street peddlers, to Fruit & Vegetable
vendors. All told, the city issued more than 20 different collectible types of
porcelain license plates – by far the most plates from any jurisdiction in Florida.
Some 2,000 passenger plates (in pairs) and 600 motorcycle plates were issued on
each of the 1912-13 and 1913-14 bases. Interestingly, the city switched to non-
porcelains after the 1913-14 plates, issuing flat metal plates for the next three
years.
Jacksonville porcelains would surely have been among the more common Florida
porcelains simply due to the size and prominence of the city, and the number of
plates issued. However, when the former Gator Bowl was being renovated in the
early 1990s in preparation for the new Jaguars football team, the city’s old landfill
was unearthed, containing literally hundreds of Jacksonville plates, ensuring its
prominence as the single most common Florida jurisdiction from which a collector
can expect to find a plate for his or her collection. The earliest two years are
somewhat rarer, and some of the non-passenger varieties are virtually unknown,
but Jacksonville plates in general suffer in terms of desirability and value from
the perception that they are common.
JEFFERSON
Jefferson lies in North-Central Florida, its borders stretching all the way from the
Georgia state line to the Gulf of Mexico. The county, named for Thomas
Jefferson, was established January 6, 1827. Early settlement was spurred both by
Jefferson’s proximity to Tallahassee and by the suitability of its soil for cotton
cultivation. In addition, pears and pecans, as well as turpentine and lumber from
the southern part of the county were all important. Watermelon, too, was a
significant agricultural product, with Jefferson County producing 80% of the
world's supply by the early 1920s. Jefferson license plates are extraordinarily
rare. Only three known plates existed until Florida collector Jeff Francis turned
up two more in 2006, including the first known 1916-17. Altogether, we know of
four different varieties of porcelains from this tough county dating from as early
as 1914.
One surviving plate is a bit of a mystery, as the date is chipped off. It is in the
same color as the 1917 passenger issue, but has a different font style and is
slightly shorter. Thus, my guess is that this plate dates from 1915-16. It is the
only non-passenger porcelain we have seen from Jefferson. A second
interesting aspect of Jefferson plates is an apparent spelling mistake. One can’t
be positive from such flimsy evidence, but both surviving examples of the 1914-
15 issue have a blemish in exactly the same place – right in the letter “S” in
“License.” Florida expert Chuck Westphal first noticed this and believes that the
original plates were created with the word license spelled “licence,” after which
the manufacturer chipped out the second “C” and re-fired the plates with the
word spelled correctly. This is by no means the only example of a Florida
porcelain with incorrect or variable spelling – other examples exist from
Hillsborough, Okaloosa, Sumter and Suwannee – but this is the only one known to
have been caught and corrected before being shipped to county officials for
distribution. Another notable aspect of these 1915 plates is the two different
variations of the numeral “1” that were used in the date.
KEY WEST
Key West is a city and an island of the same name near the southernmost tip of
the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida. Key West was always an important
military post since it sits at the northern edge of the deep water channel
connecting the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. Major industries in Key West in
the early 19th century included fishing, salt production, and salvage. Late in the
century, Key West gained a thriving cigar making industry. In 1890 Key West had
a population of nearly 18,800 and was the biggest and richest city in Florida. By
1910, the population had swelled to nearly 20,000. Nevertheless, Key West was
relatively isolated until 1912 when it was connected to the Florida mainland via
the overseas extension of Henry M. Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway. Shortly
thereafter, the first plates appeared on the island. We’re not sure just when Key
West began issuing plates, but there are two surviving examples to prove that it
did – dated Public & Private 1916-17 issues. The most fascinating feature of the
“Public” plate is its wording. Of the 250+ Florida porcelain varieties, this is the
only example with this particular term. It is probably a variant of the more
common “For Hire” designation that appears on so many Florida porcelains,
indicating its usage on public buses, taxis, etc. Another interesting aspect of the
Key West 1916-17 plates is that the Public and Private variations were produced
on different sized bases for some reason. Whereas the Public plates were made
on 4" x 6" bases, the Private porcelains measure a tiny 2 1/2" x 4".
LAFAYETTE
Established from a portion of Madison County in 1856, Lafayette is a sparsely
populated county situated in Northern Florida. Only two surviving plates
document the county’s issuance of porcelain license plates: an unusually laid out
1913-14 issue and a more traditional 1915-16 plate. It is notable that an embossed
metal 1915-16 plate also exists from Lafayette for some unexplained reason. A
1914-15 plate was very likely issued as well, although we have seen no evidence
of such a plate.
LAKE
Lying in central Florida, Lake County was created in 1887 from portions of Sumter
County and Orange County. It was named for the numerous lakes in the area, of
which there are nearly 1,500. The area is known for mild weather, excellent
growing conditions, and an abundance of fish and game. Contracts were let for
the construction of the first hard surface roads in Lake County in 1915. Prior to
that most transportation was on the waterways with special hybrid steam/
paddlewheel boats. An elaborate system of railroads was also developed. The
first license plates from Lake date to 1913-14, when an aluminum plate was
issued. Beginning the following year, however, the county switched to porcelain
plates. Lake porcelains are among the most fascinating porcelains in Florida’s
pre-state era, because they are tiny – the smallest porcelains ever produced by
any state, province, city or county. These small porcelains measure a mere 2 1/2”
in height by 4” in length. They are known in passenger, For Hire, and even
Motorcycle, although not all varieties are known for all years. It is the only case
of a Florida porcelain where the motorcycle version is the same size as the
passenger plate. In 1914-15, registrations neared 400. They grew to almost 600 in
1915-16 and almost 700 by 1916-17. Although rare, there are a half-dozen or more
surviving examples of each of the three passenger issues.
LEE
Named after Civil War general Robert E. Lee, Lee County was created in 1887 from
Monroe County. It lies in Southwestern Florida and is bordered by Charlotte
Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico and by Charlotte, Hendry, and Collier counties –
none of which produced porcelain license plates. The central portion of the
county had fertile sugarcane regions, but it was the City of Fort Myers which was
the historical, governmental, and commercial hub of Lee County. Little is known
about Lee’s history of license plates, except that three annual porcelain
passenger plates were issued from 1914-15 through 1916-17. Interestingly,
whereas the first issue was produced by the Baltimore Enamel & Novelty
Company, for some reason the county awarded the contract to produce its plates
to the Beaver Falls, PA based Ingram-Richardson company the following year.
What’s notable about this is the fact that BALTO had a long-standing reputation
for producing Florida porcelains, while Ing-Rich did not. In fact, the 1916 Lee
porcelain is the only Florida plate that is known to have been produced by this
company. The 1916- 17 plates are unmarked.
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| Use this shortcut to jump to the Florida archive page of your choice PAGE 1 (Alachua-Escambia) PAGE 2 (Fernandina-Lee) PAGE 3 (Leon-Putnam) PAGE 4 (Santa Rosa- West Palm Beach) |
| Hillsborough County, FL 1917 |
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| Mark of the J.F. Dorman Company of Baltimore. The 1910-11 Jacksonville motorcycle plates are the only license plates this company is known to have ever produced. |
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| Beginning in 1915-16, Jacksonville abandoned its use of porcelain in favor of flat painted metal. |
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| Both porcelain as well as this embossed metal plate are known from Lafayette for 1915-16 |
| First-issue Lake County license plates were made of aluminum. |
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Florida Archive (2 of 4)
FERNANDINA - LEE
