Texas 1948 Annual Plate
1948–1948Texas · annual
Gold on black, with TEXAS·48 abbreviated across the top and the two serial letters stacked vertically at the left, a compression trick that buys width for the digits. Texas replaced its plates every year in this era, so the year is stamped into the design itself rather than carried on a sticker: the plate was the registration, surrendered and replaced twelve months later. The colour pairing changed annually, which let an officer date a plate at a glance. The plate shown is a reconstruction carrying an invented serial, so no real registration is depicted.
A plate for one year only
Texas replaced its plates every year in this era, which is why 1948 is stamped into the design rather than carried on a sticker. The plate was the registration: it was surrendered and replaced twelve months later, and the colour pairing usually changed with it so an officer could date a plate at a glance. That is also why plates from these years are scarce, each one having been current for a single year.
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 (CC BY-SA 4.0, Zcarstvnz). Annual issuing practice and the 1955 move to the 6x12 standard (CC BY-SA).
- Issued
- Standard issue
- The plate you received by default when you registered a vehicle.
- Serial format
- AA9999
- Material
- Embossed metal
- Source license
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Reference
- View original