New Mexico USA Plate
1969–1971New Mexico · base · “Land of Enchantment”
The plate that first says NEW MEXICO USA along the foot, and the reason is not decoration. Drivers were repeatedly stopped at borders, refused service at toll booths and asked for passports, because a great many Americans did not know New Mexico was a state. It has been on the plate ever since, which makes this the only US plate that exists to correct a geographical misunderstanding. The plate shown is a reconstruction carrying an invented serial, so no real registration is depicted.
One plate, several years
This design served from 1969 to 1971 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 (CC BY-SA 4.0). The first appearance of the USA legend, issue period, 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