Kerrmudgeon

Iv'e had my 62 for about 32 years and it's a quote California 'black plate' car cause I bought it there and it had a black 62 cal. licence. Why is this always seem notable in for sale adds?

noosie

The license plate or plates are the original time correct ones that came with the car. A possible way to trace lineage and provide some documentation of the vehicle. You can also purchase year correct plates on ebay or through dealers but i've never thought they added much value if they weren't the original issue plates. Although they look cool.
I run year specific on my '62 and '72 but would not advertise them as "original plate cars".

65hihp

I have bought many many used cars over the last 40+ years and whenever I could, I tried to buy those that had documentation, only one or two owners, and if at all possible their original license plates. If a car still wears its original license plates (and they are still in unwrinkled condition), there is a very good chance that the car has never suffered a major smash in the front or the rear. Of course in this day of restored plates, old damaged plates can be made to look new again. But a major smash often caused the front plate to be lost, and they cannot be replaced at DMV. You lose one plate, you must replace both. So, if both are still there, at least the front and back ends are probably pretty virgin.

lcpaca

To be correct, a ‘62 should have Yellow plates, not black. 1956 through 1962 were yellow, Black started in 1963 in Calif.

Tintin

A black plate car is accepted as a California car with plates from 63- 67. As it was not (and may not be now) possible to have black plates without the car having always been in California since that time - whether new or not the plates are original to the car. It is a good indication that the car will not be rusted to death as it has always been titled in state. Cal does not allow lapsed titles, you either get a non-op or you pay the fee for reg. I have the black plates for my 66 Mustang and it was a Cal car until 2006 when I moved and titled it in AZ. It is a huge boost to the value to have a black plate car. I think it was during the black plate era that plates stayed with the car permanently , like they do now, so the plates on your car may be the original ones from 63 when the yellows went out..

turbocat

Starting in july of this year if you can find two matching black plates that are not in the system, you will be allowed to put them on your 63 to 69 car. You must also have the correct year sticker for the plates also.

sub006

My '64 was sold and registered in the Midwest, but came to California after one year. Over the last 43 years I've toyed with different spellings for vanity plates, but always decided the black plates were cooler. It's not an original California car, but it has its original California black plates.

Kerrmudgeon

Thanks to everybody for a clearer picture to an old question. By the way I guess my 62 was bought new in 63 because under all the stickers was 63 stamped into the corner and it has the calif. only pcv on the original motor, thanks again, Rob out.

tuxnharley

Hi Rob -

Well, I'm gonna show my age here, but I don't think the '63 emboss on the plate means that was when the car was sold, just when the plate was issued. Although I was a teen ager back then, my recollection is that California used to issue new plates every year when you renewed the registration, up until the early/mid 60's. I think they were actually made by State prison inmates!
I remember my Dad giving me the job of installing the new plates on the family cars every year when they came in the mail! I used to think it was really cool that he trusted me to do it right, but now that I'm that age I realize it was probably as much to save his back as anything!


Glenn

427425

I have a 65 that has much owner documentation (no factory docs) but came with blue plates with yellow numbers. I was told they are the original plates. Is this possible?

65hihp

from another CAL teen in the 60s,
no, they did not send out new plates every year. They sent out year stickers to place in the upper right corner, covering the previous year sticker. All the Black/yel plates were 1963 base plates. If your car was a 1965, you were issued a Black/yel plate, and a 1965 year sticker.
The first year for the Blue/ yel plates was 1969.
For additional info, click the link --->
http://www.calpl8s.com/california/passenger.html

claysmoker

Yes, if the car was originally sold in late 65/early 66 it would have that color plates. California changed from black on yellow in 62 to yellow on black in 63 to yellow on blue in 66 as I recall. I'll have to find pics of my Dad's 66 Chevelle to know for sure when the yellow/blue appeared. He bought it in summer of 66.

65hihp

No, dad had Black/ yel plates in 1966.
the Blue / yel did not appear until 1969.
http://www.calpl8s.com/california/passenger.html

427425

Thanks for the info, 65hihp. It is greatly appreciated.

Kerrmudgeon

I love this forum, you learn tons of things that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else! So, with the original blackplate number can I find out the California history; orig dealer, buyer, next buyer, etc.?
I tried years ago with the Calif. DOT and got no where, and they wanted $$$$ for any search with no results guaranteed. thanks Rob

62corvette

If you look at an original California yellow plate with a 62 sticker on it, you will find 56 stamped underneath that sticker. That was the first year those plates were used. When black plates came out in 63, they replaced the yellow plates, and were stamped 63, with subsequent registration stickers applied over the top of the 63.

64 daytona blue

I used to live in CA and had a 66 Mustang that had its original Black Plates when I bought it. The way I understood it, a Black Plate car meant it had the original plates, was an original CA car...asuming the current tissue plates were black in the model year. License plates stayed with the car even as it changed owners over the years with a few exceptions. If the car had moved out of state and then back in it would have been issued new plates, whatever color they would have been (Blue with yellow after 1969 or white later on). A car would also lose its original plates if it were "salvaged" or had some other title question in its past. So the appeal to a buyer was the car lived a life in CA climate (implies no rust) and had no questionable title issue. In the case of the 65 Corvette with the Blue plates, it is possible the car was not titled until blue plates were in use...if you know the car is an original CA car, or it moved in after 1969 from another state.

tuxnharley

Wow - I woulda sworn I remember replacing plates every year on my parents cars.............does anybody remember what year that stopped?
:o:

tuxnharley

Kerrmudgeon -

How long have you had the car out of California? My experience with another car (story too long to go into here) is that after a car has been off of their records/not registered in CA for more than 5 years the DMV purges their records of its history.

Best,
TnH

Vet65te

Glenn, as 64 Daytona Blue mentioned, the California plates were a one time issue when the car was initially registered, with only the 'year stickers' changing in the upper right hand corner. The color ot that adhesive backed sticker changed each year making it a bit easier for law enforcement to be able to spot an outdated tag but the plates didn't change. The only way you'd wind up installing new plates every year would be if your folks bought a 'new car' every year.
Mike T.