Complete Listing of All Delaware Plate Types
Passenger & Non-Passenger Special Backgrounds Legislative & Judicial Military & Veteran Colleges & High Schools Misc. Non-Profits Surf & Defunct
Passenger & Non-Passenger →
Motorcycle
April 6, 1905 - April 30, 1909
Manufacturer: Owner-provided
Material: Varies (usually porcelain or leather)
Colors: Varies
Dimensions: Varies
Pairs/singles?: Singles, one 1907 pair observed
Notes: On January 31, 1905, State Representative M. Howard Jester introduced a bill in the state legislature to regulate the use of automobiles for both residents and non-residents who drive in Delaware. Among other requirements, the bill would require the registration number to be displayed on a tag wth numbers three inches in height. However, the state did not provide these tags, so automobile owners were responsible to get a plate made, usually done at a leather shop or a porcelain sign shop. The bill passed the House on March 16, 1905, the Senate passed the bill on March 23, 1905, and Governor Preston Lea signed the bill into law on April 6, 1905. Very few plates are known in collections today from this era. Motorcycles numbers are part of Passenger series for these years.
Serial range observed:
- 1905: No plates observed, no records known
- 1906: Records exist but no numbers assigned to motorcycles
- 1907: 403, 426, 453, 461, 466, 470, 480, 487, 492, 493, 508, 527, 559, 573, 584, 592, 598, 600, 605, 612, 616, 620, 626, 631, and 632. (per MV records)
- 1908: 403, 461, 466, 470, 480, 490, 527, 559, 584, 598, 626, 663, 676, 716, 717, 736, 747, 748, 762, 765, 766, 779, 796, 807, 821, 879, and 881 (per MV records)
- 1909 (thru April 30): 403, 446, 480, 490, 559, 584, 736, 770, 779, 879, 881, 893, 936, 972, 997, 1010, 1015, 1023, 1029, 1032, and 1035 (per MV records)
(1905)
(1906)
(1907)
(1908)
(1909 thru April 30)
May 1, 1909 - December 31, 1909
Manufacturer: Horace E. Fine Co (Trenton, NJ)
Material: Porcelain
Colors: White on black
Dimensions: 6.5" x 8.5"
Pairs/singles?: Pairs
Notes: Starting on May 1, 1909, the state assumed resposibility of issuing license plates to Delaware drivers. Three variations known: (1) Wide legend, thin numerals, short bolt slots, (2) thin legend, wide numerals, long bolt slots, and (3) wide legend, wide numerals, short bolt slots. See pictures for details. Motorcycles were assigned numbers from the Passenger run. MV records indicate the following numbers registered to motorcycles: 1041, 1042, 1043, 1050, 1051, 1056, 1066, 1070, 1075, 1100, 1114, 1120, 1121, 1123, 1136, 1137, 1138, 1173, 1178, 1179, 1183, 1194, 1203, 1229, 1233, 1234, 1271, 1272, 1273, 1285, 1287, 1291, 1304, 1318, 1353, 1360, and 1363 (bold numbers are plates known in collections today).
Serial range observed:
- Variation 1: 1040 - 1217
- Variation 2: 1269 - 1330
- Variation 3: 1373 - 1438
Entire series for 1909 listed, see notes for numbers issued to motorcycles.
(Variation 1)
From Jeff Francis
(Variation 2)
From Gene Hauman
(Variation 3)
1910
Manufacturer: Horace E. Fine Co (Trenton, NJ)
Material: Porcelain
Colors: Black on white
Dimensions: 6.5" x 7"
Pairs/singles?: Pairs
Notes: Two variations known: (1) High bolt slots and (2) low bolt slots. See pictures for details. Numbers 1000 - 1055 issued as Dealer Class. Motorcycles were assigned numbers from the Passenger run. MV records indicate the following numbers registered to motorcycles: 51, 61, 85, 108, 143, 166, 174, 179, 197, 232, 235, 239, 252, 262, 270, 271, 273, 282, 284, 285, 292, 293, 303, 324, 328, 337, 339, 385, 386, 391, 394, 397, 399, 401, 415, 422, 423, 426, 455, 458, 477, 480, 501, 525, 527, 532, 540, 541, 542, 546, 549, 571, 575, 579, 592, 600, 621, 624, 625, 626, 633, 634, 642, 643, 648, 663, 664, 669, 682, 696, 697, 703, 704, 707, 719, 721, 724, 759, 761, 768, 775, 780, 790, 797, 814, 816, 819, 849, 850, 873, 876, 894, and 899 (bold numbers are plates known in collections today).
Serial range observed:
- Variation 1: 1 - 795
- Variation 2: 818 - 900
Entire series for 1910 listed, see notes for numbers issued to motorcycles.
(Variation 1)
From Marc Auger
(Variation 2)
1911
Manufacturer: Horace E. Fine Co (Trenton, NJ)
Material: Porcelain
Colors: White on dark blue
Dimensions: 6.5" x 7"
Pairs/singles?: Pairs
Notes: Numbers 2000 - 2066 issued as Dealer Class. Motorcycles were assigned numbers from the Passenger run. MV records indicate the following numbers registered to motorcycles: 9, 17, 27, 41, 175, 237, 238, 240, 263, 281, 282, 305, 306, 313, 328, 343, 345, 358, 363, 374, 375, 384, 389, 402, 442, 443, 444, 468, 481, 485, 502, 512, 543, 546, 549, 557, 559, 574, 576, 596, 633, 635, 641, 652, 662, 669, 675, 686, 701, 710, 722, 726, 728, 732, 742, 744, 797, 808, 819, 824, 851, 854, 858, 864, 869, 870, 912, 921, 923, 929, 936, 942, 956, 959, 971, 982, 1008, 1012, 1016, 1019, 1035, 1041, 1042, 1054, 1071, 1078, 1087, 1090, 1099, 1127, 1146, 1148, 1156, 1169, 1179, 1180, 1188, 1192, 1195, 1198, 1205, 1209, 1211, 1220, 1235, 1238, 1242, and 1247 (bold numbers are plates known in collections today).
Serial range observed: See notes above
Via Marc Auger
1912
Manufacturer: Baltimore Enamel & Novelty Company (Baltimore, MD)
Material: Porcelain
Colors: White on red
Dimensions: 6.5" x 7"
Pairs/singles?: Pairs
Notes: Motorcycles were assigned numbers from the Passenger run. MV records indicate the following numbers registered to motorcycles: 1, 106, 110, 112, 158, 209, 223, 283, 314, 328, 329, 345, 460, 476, 486, 508, 510, 533, 545, 566, 568, 569, 576, 591, 593, 599, 608, 609, 610, 625, 627, 632, 633, 635, 638, 642, 648, 678, 682, 706, 709, 710, 713, 727, 735, 743, 744, 745, 774, 781, 782, 801, 840, 852, 856, 892, 894, 895, 899, 903, 904, 913, 915, 917, 918, 919, 925, 955, 960, 973, 980, 992, 1033, 1034, 1035, 1039, 1059, 1064, 1068, 1069, 1115, 1117, 1118, 1121, 1123, 1124, 1144, 1154, 1166, 1185, 1198, 1221, 1229, 1235, 1241, 1251, 1254, 1257, 1259, 1265, 1266, 1279, 1294, 1299, 1307, 1329, 1331, 1342, 1352, 1361, 1397, 1399, 1400, 1402, 1406, 1425, 1441, 1445, 1451, 1453, 1455, 1456, 1460, 1466, 1469, 1470, 1483, 1484, 1487, 1492, 1506, 1520, 1523, 1525, 1529, 1541, 1546, 1547, 1566, 1568, 1571, 1574, 1586, 1590, 1594, 1600, 1610, 1617, 1625, 1634, 1635, 1642, 1653, 1654, 1666, 1675, 1679, 1709, 1711, and 1715 (bold numbers are plates known in collections today).
Serial range observed: See notes above
Via Marc Auger
Via Mike Sells
1913
Manufacturer: Unknown
Material: Porcelain, then unknown "flexible" material
Colors: White on black, then black on off-white
Dimensions: 6.5" x 9.75" (Variation 1), 6" x 12" (Variation 2), and 6.5" x 2" (unconfirmed, Variation 3)
Pairs/singles?: Pairs (Variations 1 and 2), then singles (Variation 3)
Notes: As in the six years prior, motorcycles were issued numbers in the regular passenger series. In January 1913, motorcyclists around the state asked their Representatives and Senators to consider making a smaller plate for motorcycles since the larger, porcelain plates they'd been receiving were causing "humiliation" when visiting other states. In May 1913, the Secretary of State announced that motorcycles would indeed get a smaller, flexible plate. In August 1913, it was reported that the Secretary of State had informed the city magistrates to prepare for issuance of these new plates. The last passenger number to be issued to a motorcycle was 2247 on 8/28/1913. The next motorcycle to be registered received number 1 (9/5/1913), followed by 3 thru 11 (9/29/1913 - 10/31/1913). Number 2 was not issued to a motorcycle since number 2 was already issued to a motorcycle back on 1/1/1913. Motorcycles were assigned numbers from the Passenger run. MV records indicate the following numbers registered to motorcycles: 2, 28, 37, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 105, 323, 327, 390, 392, 405, 419, 495, 497, 512, 612, 630, 632, 634, 686, 688, 789, 806, 807, 808, 855, 872, 890, 893, 928, 938, 963, 969, 975, 989, 996, 1005, 1017, 1034,1035, 1062, 1091, 1092, 1093, 1095, 1103, 1110, 1120, 1121, 1128, 1137, 1142, 1147, 1176, 1187, 1188, 1189, 1214, 1236, 1237, 1238, 1239, 1273, 1283, 1284, 1294, 1316, 1326, 1343, 1344, 1355, 1356, 1360, 1366, 1367, 1385, 1386, 1389, 1401, 1406, 1407, 1408, 1410, 1446, 1456, 1460, 1467, 1469, 1480, 1495, 1497, 1521, 1523, 1536, 1549, 1557, 1562, 1575, 1576, 1577, 1584, 1603, 1605, 1647, 1672, 1686, 1687, 1693, 1710, 1729, 1752, 1755, 1762, 1776, 1777, 1789, 1795, 1806, 1821, 1845, 1846, 1850, 1854, 1864, 1865, 1879, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1919, 1927, 1928, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1948, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1967, 1977, 1985, 1993, 2003, 2051, 2057, 2063, 2074, 2076, 2082, 2083, 2084, 2085, 2090, 2129, 2131, 2134, 2146, 2151, 2153, 2156, 2160, 2166, 2181, 2191, 2221, 2234, 2236, and 2247 (bold numbers are plates known in collections today). Number 1 reserved for Governor. This was the first year that #1 was issued to the Governor and it has been reserved for their office ever since (confirmed through newspaper records, #2 was skipped as it was issued to a motorcycle in the beginning of the year on the full-size plate).
Serial range observed:
- Variation 1: See notes above
- Variation 2: No plates observed
- Variation 3: 1, then 3 - 11 (per MV records)
(Variation 1)
From Marc Auger
(Variation 2)
(Variation 3)
From Dave Lincoln
1914
Manufacturer: Baltimore Enamel & Novelty Company (Baltimore, MD)
Material: Porcelain
Colors: Yellow on black
Dimensions: Unknown
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Notes: Plates shaped to fit the fender of a motorcycle.
Serial range observed: 128 - 350
From Dave Lincoln
1915
Manufacturer: Baltimore Enamel & Novelty Company (Baltimore, MD)
Material: Porcelain
Colors: Indigo on white
Dimensions: 8" x 3" (Variation 1), then unknown (Variation 2)
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Notes: Initial run of plates shaped to fit the fender of a motorcycle, later plates are flat.
Serial range observed:
- Variation 1: 41 (only number known)
- Variation 2: 188 - 541
(Variation 1)
From Marc Auger
(Variation 2)
From Gene Hauman
via Eric Taylor
1916
Manufacturer: New York Metal Ceiling
Material: Steel
Colors: White on green
Dimensions: 3" x 8"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 15 - 650
From John Willard
From Dave Lincoln
1917
Manufacturer: New York Metal Ceiling
Material: Steel
Colors: White on black
Dimensions: 3" x 8"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 733
From Dave Lincoln
From Plateshack
1918
Manufacturer: Unknown
Material: Steel
Colors: White on brown
Dimensions: 3" x 8" (unconfirmed)
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 748
From Dave Lincoln
1919
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: White on dark blue
Dimensions: 6.5" x 2"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 731
From Delaware DMV
1920
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Black on light green
Dimensions: 6.5" x 2"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 712
From Dave Lincoln
1921
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Red on white
Dimensions: 6.5" x 2"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 606
From Snookie Vent
1922
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Blue on white
Dimensions: 6.5" x 2"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 170 (per MV records)
From Dave Lincoln
1923
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: White on black
Dimensions: 6.5" x 2"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 11 - 492 (per MV records)
From Anonymous
1924
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Brown on cream
Dimensions: 6.5" x 2" (unconfirmed)
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Notes: No plates known in collections or photographs.
Serial range observed: 1 - 362 (per MV records)
1925
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Black on orange
Dimensions: 6.5" x 2" (unconfirmed)
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Notes: No plates known in collections or photographs.
Serial range observed: 1 - 186
1926
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Yellow on blue
Dimensions: 6.5" x 2"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Notes: Per MV records, #1 - 42 and 197 - 213 were registered to the State Highway Department; #308 - 378 were registered to the Department of Public Safety for Wilmington.
Serial range observed: 1 - 378 (per MV records)
From Snookie Vent
1927
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Red on gray
Dimensions: 6.5" x 2"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Notes: Per MV records, #1 - 39 were registered to the State Highway Department; #48 - 63 were registered to the Public Safety Department of City Hall in Wilmington.
Serial range observed: 1 - 238 (per MV records)
From Dave Lincoln
1928
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Black on white
Dimensions: 6.5" x 2"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 280
From Dave Lincoln
1929
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Colonial Blue on yellow
Dimensions:7.5" x 2" (unconfirmed)
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Notes: Per MV records, #1 - 37 were registered to the State Highway Department.
Serial range observed: 1 - 200 (per MV records)
From Dave Lincoln
1930
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Yellow on Colonial Blue
Dimensions: 3 7/8" x 6 7/8"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 187
From Dave Lincoln
1931
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Colonial Blue on yellow
Dimensions: 3 7/8" x 6 7/8"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 493
From Snookie Vent
1932
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Yellow on Colonial Blue
Dimensions: 3 7/8" x 6 7/8"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 312
Via Kenny Moore
1933
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Colonial Blue on yellow
Dimensions: 3 7/8" x 6 7/8"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 97
From DSP Archives
From Dave Lincoln
1934
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Yellow on Colonial Blue
Dimensions: 3 7/8" x 6 7/8"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 340
From Dave Lincoln
1935
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Colonial Blue on yellow
Dimensions: 3 7/8" x 6 7/8"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 481
(Repainted)
From eBay
1936
Manufacturer: Grote Brothers (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Yellow on Colonial Blue
Dimensions: 3 7/8" x 6 7/8"
Pairs/singles?: Pairs
Serial range observed: 1 - 270
From Anonymous
1937
Manufacturer: Grote Brothers (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Colonial Blue on yellow
Dimensions: 3 7/8" x 6 7/8"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 300
From Anonymous
1938
Manufacturer: Grote Brothers (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Maroon on silver
Dimensions: 3 7/8" x 6 7/8"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 451
From Anonymous
1939
Manufacturer: Grote Brothers (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Silver on maroon
Dimensions: 3 7/8" x 6 7/8"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 1 - 441
From Anonymous
1940
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Blue on yellow
Dimensions: 3.75" x 6.75"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 100 - 576 (per MV records)
From Anonymous
1941
Manufacturer: National Colortype Co. (Bellevue, KY)
Material: Steel
Colors: Yellow on blue
Dimensions: 3.75" x 6.75"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Serial range observed: 100 - 592 (per MV records)
From Anonymous
1942 - circa 1951
Manufacturer: Baltimore Enamel & Novelty Co.
Material: Porcelain
Colors: White on black
Dimensions: 5.25" x 6.75" (Variation 1) and 5.5" x 7.5" (Variations 2 and 3)
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Notes: There were three variations of white on black porcelain Motorcycle plates: (1) "DEL." down the left side, (2) "MC" down the left side and "DEL" down the right side and thinner font, and (3) "DEL." down the left side, thicker font, and a hyphen separator. It's believed that the Baltimore Enamel & Novelty Co. made all three variations but that is not confirmed.
Serial range observed:
- Variation 1: 121 - 1944
- Variation 2: 2096 - 2454
- Variation 3: 2515 - 2715
(Variation 1)
From Anonymous
(Variation 2)
From eBay
(Variation 3)
From eBay
Circa 1951 - 1966
Manufacturer: Unknown
Material: Stainless steel
Colors: Off-white (Scotchlite) on black, later gold on black
Dimensions: 5.5" x 7.25"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Notes: These plates featured numbers that were spot riveted onto the plate and tab slots to continue using the same style of tab that had been in use up to that point. It appears that the plate manufacturer started to punch seven pairs of holes into plates once #1000 was made so future blanks could be used for a 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-digit number. These are referred to as "universal blanks." It also appears that DMV locations received non-universal blanks for replacement plates are many 1-, 2-, 3-, and even 4-digit numbers are known without the extra holes being punched into the plate. This base extended into the years where Passenger plates were already blue with gold numbers. When the supply of off-white Scotchlite numbers dwindled, the modern gold numbers were used on the last of the supply of black steel blanks.
Serial range observed:
- Scotchlite numbers: 1 - 2741
- Gold numbers: 2906 - 4115
(Scotchlite numbers)
From eBay
(Universal blank)
From J.R. Argo
(Gold numbers)
From eBay
(Gold numbers,
not universal blank)
From Travis Allen
(Gold numbers,
not universal blank)
From Chris Turner
1966 - Circa 1970
Manufacturer: Unknown
Material: Aluminum
Colors: Gold on dark blue
Dimensions: 6" x 8"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Notes: The change to this format coincides with the state's switch to the new reflective blue and gold plates about a decade prior.
Serial range observed: 1 - 6643
From Jordan Irazabal
From Dave Lincoln
Circa 1970 - 1982
Manufacturer: Demco (Milford, DE)
Material: Aluminum
Colors: Gold on dark blue
Dimensions: 6" x 8"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Notes: When number 9999 was reached, the state did not want to display five numbers, as they thought it would look too crammed on the plate, so they went to the first-available letter prefixes: "B", then "E", then "J", and a number, starting at 100. After "J" was exhausted, the state reversed their decision, and began again at 10000.
Serial range observed:
1 - 9999, then
B100 - B999, then
E100 - E999, then
J100 - J999, then
10000 - 23474
From Plateshack
From Plateshack
From Worthpoint
From Jordan Irazabal
From Jordan Irazabal
1982 - circa 2006
Manufacturer: Demco (Milford, DE)
Material: Aluminum
Colors: Gold on dark blue
Dimensions: 4" x 7"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Notes: Three font variations, see pictures. This base came out during the time that legislation was passed to allow the DMV to recycle plate numbers, which makes it hard to track changeover points between font variations. From reviewing photos of plates, it appears that recycling began around the time that font variation 3 was introduced. It is unknown why the vast majority of the 30000 block was skipped.
Serial range observed:
- Font variation 1: 23714 - 26084
- Font variation 2: 26493 - 30189
- Font variaton 3: 40588 - 43787
(Only new registrations shown; numbers from former bases also observed reprinted on these formats)
(Font variation 1)
From eBay
(Font variation 2)
From eBay
(Font variation 3)
From eBay
Circa 2006 - Present
Manufacturer: Waldale Manufacturing Limited (Nova Scotia, Canada)
Material: Aluminum
Colors: Gold on dark blue
Dimensions: 4" x 7"
Pairs/singles?: Singles
Notes: Three font variations:
(1) Thin ("Waldale 1")
(2) Thicker ("Waldale 2")
(3) Copy of Demco font ("Waldale 3"). It is unknown why there seem to be blocks of previously-unissued numbers when tag numbers are recycled.
Serial range observed:
- Waldale 1: 50030 - 52053
- Waldale 2: 30003 - 31486
- Waldale 3: 31681 - 32947, and 55676
(Only new registrations shown; numbers from former bases also observed reprinted on these formats)
(Waldale 1)
From Worthpoint
(Waldale 2)
From mctags.com
(Waldale 3)
From Jordan Irazabal