New Mexico 1961 Base Plate
1961–1964New Mexico · base · “Land of Enchantment”
The end of the annual plate in New Mexico. From 1961 one base served several years and the date moved onto a sticker, which is why this design looks calmer than everything before it: no year stamped into the Zia, no colour rotation, just red on white with a border line and the state name along the foot. The plate shown is a reconstruction carrying an invented serial, so no real registration is depicted.
One plate, several years
This design served from 1961 to 1964 rather than for a single year. A plate that stays on a car across several registrations cannot date itself, so the year is proved separately, by a tab or sticker in the earlier period and by a windscreen sticker later. It is the opposite arrangement to the annual plates, where the plate WAS the registration.
Stamped, not printed
Every character here is pressed into the metal and stands proud of the surface, along with the raised rim just inside the edge. Run a hand across it and you feel the whole design. The plate was struck from flat stock in a press, then the raised faces were rolled with paint, which is why wear shows first on the tops of the characters.
Sources
Reference photograph of an issued plate of this base (CC BY-SA 4.0). Issue period, the move away from annual issue, colours and serial format (CC BY-SA).
- Issued
- Standard issue
- The plate you received by default when you registered a vehicle.
- Serial format
- 99-999
- Material
- Embossed aluminium with reflective sheeting
- Source license
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Reference
- View original