Year Of Manufacture License Plates 4 Corvettes

[Ed L.]

The YOM rules and regulations in each state vary greatly. My experience is also that they are enforced more or less as many times the DMV personnel are unfamiliar with the rules. I would be happy to hear from others of their experience in different states. I also collect license plates and have been able to help others find the YOM plates they are looking for. In MD you have to physically bring the plates to the main branch and one person keeps a hand written log. The rules say you must have 2 plates for the year of your vehicle which must be over 25 yrs. The number must not be issued to anyone else in the state too. As I am from NY these are the plates on my 71: MD1971.jpg

[Christopher R.]

Re: Yom

Five points on YOM plates.

1. Don't restore the plate until after you bring it to your state's DMV for approval. All states forbid altered plates. Restoring the plate is considered altering it. Afterwards, they won't know, and therefore won't care, and if they did, you just happen to be one of those lucky guys whose old plates still look good after all these years. ("Hey, gimme a break. This is how I got it. What do I know?") Beforehand they can say no. Afterwards they have to prove you guilty.

2. Mojoartworks.com does a great, quick, and reasonably priced job on restoring plates.

3. Licenseplates.tv can make you a plate cheap. If you only have one plate, they can make a copy. They won't pass any inspection if you put them side by side. But if you put one on the front of the car and one on the back, they'll look the same.

4. Go to your state's DMV web site. Find your state's laws or regulations on YOM plates. Print them and carry them in the car. The cop that stops you will probably be younger than the YOM plate. That plate is going to look funny to him or her.

5. Did you know that collecting license is a big hobby? If you think NCRS guys are obsessive, you ought to see these guys. Lots of information on the internet about license plates. If you're looking for an interesting plate, these are the guys to see.

[Dennis O.]

Re: Yom

I'm in Minnesota, and have YOM plates on all of my cars. I had to take them in and they put them on a copy machine and made copies. I never had any problem getting them registered. However, I had YOM plates on my '51 Ford, and after about 12 years, I got a letter from the DMV saying they had re-issued the number and I could no longer use them. They did, however, include a nice new set of collector plates at no charge.

[Alan S.]

Re: Yom

Hi,
Speaking to Christopher's 3rd point.
I'm in Maryland like Ed. I had a pair of plates made by Licenseplate.tv that matched the plates that were installed on my car at the dealership. They do look very nice and needed to be sent along with the application for Vintage plates to the Md. DMV. There didn't seem to be any problem in the fact that they weren't original plates made by Maryland. I received a set of Vintage plates with a registration card, and another card similar to a registration card indicating the YOM plates could be displayed.
In Md. it cost a one time fee of $25.
Regards,
Alan

[David B.]

Re: Yom

Florida allows YOM plates ("Authenticated" plates in FL DMV lingo), but the information on how to apply is not really front and center on the Florida DMV website. You have to mail the physical plate in to Tallahassee, along with a letter and some other information. The requirements and procedure are listed here, in section IV. of this pdf document:

http://www3.flhsmv.gov/dmv/Proc/RS/RS-25.pdf

To save some time, you can check in advance and see if anyone has that number registered already (e.g., from a different year plate, or a personalized plate). If they do, you can't register it. Enter the number here with no dashes or punctuation:

https://services.flhsmv.gov/MVCheckPersonalPlate/PlateInquiryView.aspx

Christopher's point (1) applies to FL; they will often reject a "restored" plate. Another trick that may work in FL (note: I have not tried this) is to order a personalized (aka vanity) plate with the same number as the YOM plate you want to use. When the personalized plate arrives, transfer the registration decal to the YOM plate.

[Ed L.]

Re: Yom

Thanks for those tips Christopher.

[Ed L.]

Re: Yom

yes it does seem like most DMV and police are pretty lenient with YOM plate rules but there is always the chance to find the person who will nail you. Anyway I am not sure what Licenseplate.tv charges but many years and states you might be able to find a legit pair for less.

[Ed L.]

Re: Yom

pretty slick

[Ed L.]

Re: Yom

I know in NY or MD you do not need to use a sticker but I saw in CA most put sticker on a plate topper which I guess is OK in CA. For some reason, maybe the number of classic cars in CA, the price on good pairs of CA plates is real high.

[Alan S.]

Re: Yom

Hi Ed,
Licenseplate TV charges about $80 per plate.
I guess it's pretty reasonable for someone looking for a particular set of letters and numbers.
You must have been pleased to find those NY plates for your car!
Did you drive it today?!? A lot of snow around, but a hint of warmth in the sun too.
Regards,
Alan

[David B.]

Re: Yom

Here in FL they are not that expensive, in part because new ones were issued every year for a number of years. So, they're relatively plentiful.

There are a few other things to know, for any Floridians on the board (especially transplanted ones). As carbonated beverages are often known here as "soda", license plates are often called "tags", or at least they were. You got your tags at the "Tag Agency".

From 1938-1977, FL tags used a particular numbering convention. The first number on the tag was the County Code, and following that was a Type Code. Here's a handy reference chart:

http://www.floridalicenseplates.com/codes.php

If you look at that chart, you'll see that Type Code "D" was for passenger cars <2500 lbs, Type Code "W" was for passenger cars 3500-4000 lbs, and Type Code "WW" was for passenger cars >4500 lbs. What's not covered in this chart is cars between 2500-3500 lbs -- and in fact, tags for those cars had no Type Code. So...if a Corvette owner wanted to be "correct" and have a tag that would have been appropriate for a Corvette back in the day, he should probably get one without a Type Code. It would just have a County Code, a dash, and a then sequence of digits.

Edit: Just checking, I do see that 75-77 Corvettes had curb weights just over 3500 lbs, but I don't remember whether those cars were issued "W" tags or not. If they were, that might have been slightly ignominious (no offense intended to any owners of those vintages).

[Rob V.]

Re: Yom

Please define "YOM"--I have not been able to determine what the acronym stands for...Thanks,Rob

[Richard P.]

Re: Yom

YOM is the acronym for Year of Manufacture. A nice touch on an older car.

[Jim D.]

Re: Yom

In Wa. state, it's a one time fee of $45. No yearly fee ever again. Also, even though front plates are required in our state, if you run a YOM, no front plate is required. All you have to do is take a single plate to the DMV or a sub-agent, they photo copy the plate and you walk out in less than 5 mins. All they require is a plate in good condition. I've restored several plates for myself and others and none have ever been rejected for being "altered" when taken in to register. I guess our state is more laid back than most.

[Carl N.]

Re: Yom

Texas is $55.00 for five years and NO annual inspection required - which translates to no 20 yo wanna be race car driver behind the wheel for the state mandated test drive ! I have run these for years on all vehicles old enough.