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Gallery - 2016 Discoveries
This page illustrates a handful of some of the more significant discoveries of
2015. For other significant finds of recent years, please visit the following:
2015. For other significant finds of recent years, please visit the following:
JANUARY, 2016 - 1913-14 JACKSONVILLE, FL FRUIT & VEGETABLE PEDDLER
Jacksonville is a city known for its extremely large and varied use of porcelain
license plates. The city licensed everything from Ice Cream vendors to Street
Peddlers. Fruit & Vegetable Peddler porcelains were known from 1912-13, but
this is the first 1913-14 to surface.
JANUARY, 2016 - UNDATED DOUGLAS, AZ
For years, a few elusive examples of dated 1918 Douglas porcelains were known.
The presumption has always been that these are from Arizona, although the
plates don't actually indicate a state of origin. When this undated version showed
up on EBAY, it further complicated our tentative understanding of these plates!
MARCH, 2016 - 1915-16 CLINTON, MA LICENSED HACKNEY
Decades ago when collectors first started finding Clinton porcelains, all that were
known were a few Peddler versions. Then a few milk license versions showed
up, followed more recently by Jobber and Junk varieties. This unique Hackney
plate is now the fifth variety of Clinton porcelain that we have identified.
MARCH, 2016 - 1916-17 LYNN, MA HAWKER & PEDDLER
It's a rare occurrence when a plate shows up from a jurisdiction in Massachusetts
that collectors didn't know about. The last time this happened was in 2011 when a
Shellfish Commission plate showed up from New Bedford & Fairhaven. Lynn now
becomes the ninth city from MA known to have issued porcelain license plates.
MARCH, 2016 - 1920 WASHINGTON DEALER
Of the classes of plates issued by the state of Washington in 1920, several
varieties are unknown on the full porcelain base. These include A-prefixed autos
for hire, S-prefixed stage plates and - until now - Dealer plates. An interesting
aspect of these dealer plates is that they were produced on a taller base.
MARCH, 2016 - 1919-20 WORCESTER, MA
Worcester is known for a beautiful and long run of colorful diamond-shaped
porcelains from 1912-13 all the way through 1929-30. However, two of these
plates have remained unaccounted for. This 1919-20 was one of them. The only
year still unverified is a 1921-22 issue.
APRIL, 2016 - 1938 GLENS FALLS, NY LICENSED TRUCKMEN
This amazing little plate showed up on EBAY, shocking plate collectors who never
knew Glens Falls ever issued license plates. Truckman plates are also known
from Stamford, CT but the odd plural usage of the word on this plate leaves some
degree of confusion about what sort of vehicle carried these plates.
APRIL, 2016 - 1915 CA ODDBALL
There are several examples of porcelain license plates with odd colors or or
weird formats that don't fit the norm. The presumption is that these are samples
or prototypes, and that's the going theory with this oddball 1915 CA plate. Black is
a color that was never once used on CA porcelains.
JUNE, 2016 - 1906 SCHENECTADY, NY GARBAGE LICENSE
Every couple of years, it seems like a previously unknown class of plate shows up
on these distinctive long bases thought to have been issued in Schenectady, NY
between about 1906 and 1936. This formery unseen Garbage variant now
becomes the 7th variety in collectors' hands.
JULY, 2016 - 1913 MARYLAND MOTORCYCLE (TYPE 2)
Maryland 1913 motorcycle plates are not unknown. In fact, there are seven or
eight known to my knowledge. However, when this plate turned up on EBAY, it
made collectors take note. Not only is it the highest number known, but it is the
only example we've seen which was not manufactured with center hole.
JULY, 2016 - 1914-15 CITRUS, FL FOR HIRE
During an excavation being undertaken by an underground utility crew in Florida,
several Citrus porcelains were found. They included at least three 1916 plates,
plus this one 1914-15 For Hire version. For Hire plates were known on the
1913-14 base but this is the first to surface for 1914-15.
AUGUST, 2016 - CHESTER COUNTY, SC
This plate was unearthed in land near Lansford Canal in Chester County. It
becomes the 38th different variety of porcelain known from South Carolina and is
distinctive because of the blue characters it has, which are in stark contrast to
the vast majority of SC porcelains with their black characters.
NOVEMBER, 2016 - 1926 SYRACUSE, NY BUS LICENSE
About 25 years ago, the only round Syracuse plate known was a lone 1918 Milk
version. The in 2015, two different auto versions showed up. And now this Bus
version has surfaced. This suggests that there were perhaps three different
runs of annual porcelains being issued over the span of at least a decade!
NOVEMBER, 2016 - 1922 UNKNOWN MILK LICENSE
The last new discovery of 2016 is perhaps the least interesting. It is a simple
dated Milk plate with no indication of the city of origin. The wording is identical to
plates thought to have been issued in Schenectady, NY, but the size and layout
are completely different. For now, this will find a home in the Unknown archive.
Jacksonville is a city known for its extremely large and varied use of porcelain
license plates. The city licensed everything from Ice Cream vendors to Street
Peddlers. Fruit & Vegetable Peddler porcelains were known from 1912-13, but
this is the first 1913-14 to surface.
JANUARY, 2016 - UNDATED DOUGLAS, AZ
For years, a few elusive examples of dated 1918 Douglas porcelains were known.
The presumption has always been that these are from Arizona, although the
plates don't actually indicate a state of origin. When this undated version showed
up on EBAY, it further complicated our tentative understanding of these plates!
MARCH, 2016 - 1915-16 CLINTON, MA LICENSED HACKNEY
Decades ago when collectors first started finding Clinton porcelains, all that were
known were a few Peddler versions. Then a few milk license versions showed
up, followed more recently by Jobber and Junk varieties. This unique Hackney
plate is now the fifth variety of Clinton porcelain that we have identified.
MARCH, 2016 - 1916-17 LYNN, MA HAWKER & PEDDLER
It's a rare occurrence when a plate shows up from a jurisdiction in Massachusetts
that collectors didn't know about. The last time this happened was in 2011 when a
Shellfish Commission plate showed up from New Bedford & Fairhaven. Lynn now
becomes the ninth city from MA known to have issued porcelain license plates.
MARCH, 2016 - 1920 WASHINGTON DEALER
Of the classes of plates issued by the state of Washington in 1920, several
varieties are unknown on the full porcelain base. These include A-prefixed autos
for hire, S-prefixed stage plates and - until now - Dealer plates. An interesting
aspect of these dealer plates is that they were produced on a taller base.
MARCH, 2016 - 1919-20 WORCESTER, MA
Worcester is known for a beautiful and long run of colorful diamond-shaped
porcelains from 1912-13 all the way through 1929-30. However, two of these
plates have remained unaccounted for. This 1919-20 was one of them. The only
year still unverified is a 1921-22 issue.
APRIL, 2016 - 1938 GLENS FALLS, NY LICENSED TRUCKMEN
This amazing little plate showed up on EBAY, shocking plate collectors who never
knew Glens Falls ever issued license plates. Truckman plates are also known
from Stamford, CT but the odd plural usage of the word on this plate leaves some
degree of confusion about what sort of vehicle carried these plates.
APRIL, 2016 - 1915 CA ODDBALL
There are several examples of porcelain license plates with odd colors or or
weird formats that don't fit the norm. The presumption is that these are samples
or prototypes, and that's the going theory with this oddball 1915 CA plate. Black is
a color that was never once used on CA porcelains.
JUNE, 2016 - 1906 SCHENECTADY, NY GARBAGE LICENSE
Every couple of years, it seems like a previously unknown class of plate shows up
on these distinctive long bases thought to have been issued in Schenectady, NY
between about 1906 and 1936. This formery unseen Garbage variant now
becomes the 7th variety in collectors' hands.
JULY, 2016 - 1913 MARYLAND MOTORCYCLE (TYPE 2)
Maryland 1913 motorcycle plates are not unknown. In fact, there are seven or
eight known to my knowledge. However, when this plate turned up on EBAY, it
made collectors take note. Not only is it the highest number known, but it is the
only example we've seen which was not manufactured with center hole.
JULY, 2016 - 1914-15 CITRUS, FL FOR HIRE
During an excavation being undertaken by an underground utility crew in Florida,
several Citrus porcelains were found. They included at least three 1916 plates,
plus this one 1914-15 For Hire version. For Hire plates were known on the
1913-14 base but this is the first to surface for 1914-15.
AUGUST, 2016 - CHESTER COUNTY, SC
This plate was unearthed in land near Lansford Canal in Chester County. It
becomes the 38th different variety of porcelain known from South Carolina and is
distinctive because of the blue characters it has, which are in stark contrast to
the vast majority of SC porcelains with their black characters.
NOVEMBER, 2016 - 1926 SYRACUSE, NY BUS LICENSE
About 25 years ago, the only round Syracuse plate known was a lone 1918 Milk
version. The in 2015, two different auto versions showed up. And now this Bus
version has surfaced. This suggests that there were perhaps three different
runs of annual porcelains being issued over the span of at least a decade!
NOVEMBER, 2016 - 1922 UNKNOWN MILK LICENSE
The last new discovery of 2016 is perhaps the least interesting. It is a simple
dated Milk plate with no indication of the city of origin. The wording is identical to
plates thought to have been issued in Schenectady, NY, but the size and layout
are completely different. For now, this will find a home in the Unknown archive.
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This page illustrates a handful of some of the more significant discoveries of
2016. For other significant finds of recent years, please visit the following:
2016. For other significant finds of recent years, please visit the following:
| 2016 DISCOVERIES |