Circa 1925 Pumping gasoline

[jeff of pa]

odd is the double license plates

 

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[traveller777]

View attachment 2034148

odd is the double license plates

Bet you had to have different plates for different jurisdictions.

 

[Red-Coat]

odd is the double license plates

Bet you had to have different plates for different jurisdictions.

Yes, I think that’s right. The combination of plate/serial colours, serial format and state indications changed each year to make it easier for the cops to tell at a glance if your registration was up to date. From a b&w picture it’s not possible to tell what the colours were, except to say whether the serial is lighter or darker than the plate.

The top plate appears to be for Washington, DC. The letters ‘DC’ with the year below placed to the right of the serial could only be for 1920 (as black on white) or 1921 (as blue on white). From 1922 onwards the serial changed to white on various colour backgrounds and from 1924 the state indication and date were centred at the top or bottom (depending on the year) in small letters.

One would then expect the lower plate to probably be for Virginia or Maryland. The format could only be for 1928 if it were Virginia. For Maryland it could be 1918, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1926 or 1928 (with state indication and date centred at top or bottom in small letters, depending on year). So 1920 would be the best fit, given the DC plate could only be for 1920 or 1921… if both plates were valid. If the DC plate hadn’t been kept up to date because the vehicle was no longer being used there, it could be from 1922, 1925, 1926 or 1928.


Nice to see a guy pushing the pump hose up like that. I always do that to make sure I get all the fuel I’ve paid for, some of which would otherwise be left in the ‘U’ bend.