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MG TD TF 1500 - California Black Tag

In a couple of threads I've heard people (I'm not sure which) extoll the virtues of/crow proudly about CA black tags. My TD from the San Diego area came with a pair (the stamped year is 1963). I put one back on the TD but still couldn't exceed 80 mph or do a quarter mile in under 20 seconds so they are just hanging in my garage. Am I sitting on a gold mine and don't know it? Is there some secret underground market for these things that I'm not aware of? Can I increase the return on my investment but cutting them into strips and selling the strips to people who will pot and root them and grow little CA bicycle tags? Just wondering but don't want to toss out a good retirement plan by mistake.

Thanks.

Jud

J K Chapin

Hi Jud,

I am also the owner of a TD that came with a CA black plate. My neighbor saw it and was trying his best to finagle me out of it. I felt like I was someone's grandma about to sell the family jewelry for $.02 on the dollar.

Native Oregonians frequently feel over run by people escaping the big bad monster state to the south. So, I generally view anything associated with California as a scourge at best. If these plates are worth anything I could probably be talked out of mine just to get the blight out of the shop!

Kirk
Kirk Trigg

Yup, from a born and raised east-coaster who had to go to CA a couple of times on business, I travelled light and made sure I didn't leave anything behind I'd be tempted to go back and get. I have to admit, though, that TDs and other classic iron do seem to survive there better than in some other parts of the country. Thanks to whoever preserved mine for 59-1/2 years.

Jud
J K Chapin

Jud
I was raised in Calif. My first TD was a clipper blue
'51 with black plates. Yes, they are valuable. Especially if there is ever any chance you would sell you TD to a Californian. The plate and number can be reactivated (pretty sure). My big brother in CA drives a Jag 140 with original black plates. He is very proud of that.

Tom
'54 TF
T Norby

"Black Plates" used to be coveted because they were the oldest plates to NOT be included in the Year of Manufacture program. This meant that any car equipped with them was never registered outside of California after the plates were discontinued in 1969. In other words, it would be a "California Car" that so many people desire because of the dry climate and therefore lack of rust. However there are two problems with this...

1) Only certain parts of California are dry. A black plate car that lived in a coastal area would be as rusted through as anywhere else.

2) Recently, black plates were added to the Year of Manufacture program so now people can assign them to any 1963-1969 vehicle. They are no longer special, and the cars that proudly wore them before aren't special because of them anymore.

The upside for you is that since they are now in the YOM program, the value has gone from zero (because they couldn't be assigned to a car) to fairly valuable as people add them to 60's cars here. The value will depend on condition, letter/number combination and most importantly DMV status. The letter/number combo needs to be clear (available and not assigned to anything) in the DMV computer. There is an online tool to check this. Last, the plates must have the correct year sticker for the car they will grace. There is a fairly healthy supply of counterfeit stickers out there since originals are almost impossible to find.

I haven't priced black plates in a while but yours (if clear) are probably worth $75 or so.

Incidentally, they are all stamped 1963. This was the year of release and in subsequent years you would put a new sticker on the plate annually. Same went for the previous plates which were black on orange.

Hope this helps!
Steve S

Steve, that explains a lot (maybe even all). Thanks. I think I'll hang onto them for a bit and maybe some day I'll ebay then to buy the wife a trinket.

Jud
J K Chapin

Most 1950's black plates in CA are different (see below). They are wider with rounded corners. On top of that the plates will say 1951 and each year you received (2) metal registration tags (one for the front and one for the rear) that had matching serial numbers.

Last year I paid $200 just for a set of unused 1952 tags that went on my almost perfect 1951 plates.

Also note that its virtually impossible to put license plate frames on these plates as the current manufacturers don't seem to account for the extra thickness on the lower right corner for the tag.

And I cannot register my vintage plates because some other rust bucket in the states has a later year set with the same letters/numbers. It has to be unique.

1949 California License Plates used 1947 base plates with metal 49 tabs
1950 California License Plates used 1947 base plates with metal 50 tabs
1951 California License Plates were a new base plate
1952 California License Plates used 1951 base plates with metal 52 tabs
1953 California License Plates used 1951 base plates with metal 53 tabs
1954 California License Plates used 1951 base plates with a metal 54 tab
1955 California License Plates used 1951 base plates with a metal 55 tab

Christopher Couper

Wow! Even though I've been in SC since '56 (VA via NC), kinda want me to be from TN where the tags of that era were the shape of Tennessee. Damn federal homogizing.

Jud
J K Chapin

True Chris, although the plates on Jud's car are the later variety that are standard shape and size. These are the plates that are commonly referred to as "black plates" even though several earlier years also used a black background. These weren't issued until later in the car's life so it either came in from out of state sometime in the 60's or for whatever reason the plates were changed during a registration change.
Steve S

This thread was discussed between 24/12/2013 and 26/12/2013

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