The Canadian province of Alberta first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display licence plates in 1912.
Video Vehicle registration plates of Alberta
List of plate issues
All serials (except a few in 1952 and 1953) exclude the letters I and O. Some three letter combinations were skipped because they spelled words. The BSE combination was issued in 2004, but was quickly followed by an optional recall.
1912 to 1915
When the first plates were issued in Alberta, a number of materials were tried. 1912 and 1913 used porcelain enameled iron, and 1914 and 1915 used thin sheet metal with silkscreened number rolled over a wire frame. Serials issued started at 1 every year, and every year the registrant could request the same number as the previous year. The 1912 plate followed the design of other provinces, but 1913 to 1915 featured the Alberta shield and year on the left side. Registration expired December 31.
1916 to 1920
Starting with the 1916 issue, a heavier gauge of metal was used, and the text moved to the right side, saying ALTA, and the year. The 1918 plates were the first embossed plates, and 1920 had the first painted border.
1921 to 1924
The 1921 to 1924 issues each used several plate sizes, depending on the length of the serial. Hyphens were also used in serials for the first time.
1925 to 1936
The 1925 issue was the first to feature the full province name. 1929 was the only year before 1947 that six-digit serials were required.
1937 to 1951
In 1937 the expiry date was changed to March 31, the design was changed in 1937, by placing Alberta on the top, and the expiry date on the bottom. In 1940 the text began alternating, and the first slogan appeared, "Drive Safely", this was done by abbreviating the expiry date to dmy format. In 1942 the slogan was replaced with "Canada", but was removed after that. In 1943 and 1944, plates with an expiry of March 31, 1944 were issued, but this was extended to March 31 1945 with a window sticker. This series used the 123-456 serial format.
In 1956, the Canadian provinces and U.S. states came to an agreement with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Automobile Manufacturers Association and the National Safety Council that standardized the size for licence plates for vehicles (except those for motorcycles) at 6 inches (15 cm) in height by 12 inches (30 cm) in width, with standardized mounting holes. The first Alberta licence plate that complied with these standards was issued five years beforehand, in 1951 (expired March 31, 1952).
1952 to 1953
For the 1952 to 1953 series, reflective plates were tried, as well as an annual revalidation. The expiry date was moved back to December 31, but a tab was affixed to the plate to extend it to December 31, 1953. A letter was inserted in the third spot, however when these combinations ran up, it was moved to the second position. 1952 is the only year that the letters I and O were used, but at a smaller size.
1954 to 1972
Two-letter series were introduced in 1954, with each series initially followed by three digits. In 1960, the number of digits increased to four, with each series running from 0001 to 9000. From 1964 through 1972, only B, C, E, H, J, K, L, N, R, T, X and Z were used as the first letter, with four such letters allocated each year. The 1967 base commemorated the centennial of Canadian Confederation.
1973 to 1983
The 1973-74 base used the AB-12-34 serial format, with B, C, E, H, K and L used as the first letter. It was also the first base to feature the "Wild Rose Country" slogan, which remains in use today. The 1975-84 base introduced the ABC-123 serial format, which provided many more combinations, though these were not issued in alphabetical order. Most plates on this base were manufactured in Alberta, but some were manufactured in Quebec and Nova Scotia using these provinces' dies.
1984 to present
The current white, red and blue base was introduced in 1984. Staggered monthly registration was introduced at the same time, with the month of expiration determined by the first letter of the registrant's surname, and the plate expiring on the last day of the assigned month. Plates were originally manufactured from steel and were reflective; non-reflective plates were introduced in 1993 as a cost-saving measure, while the material changed to aluminum in 1999 due to a steel shortage at the plant where the plates were manufactured. Several serial dies have been used on this base, owing to different plate vendors.
The base originally used the ABC-123 serial format, starting at BBB-000. The letters A, E, I, O, Q, U and Y were not used until 1998, when A, E, U and Y were added (beginning with the TGY series). After YZZ-999 was reached in 2003 (the 'Z' series were reserved for ATVs at the time), previously skipped series containing A, E, U and Y were issued, starting with the BAA series and ending with the TGU series in 2009. These were followed by the 'Z' series that had not been issued on ATVs, including those containing A, E, U and Y. The 'A' and 'X' series were not issued due to their use on Handicapped and Motorcycle plates respectively.
As the ABC-123 format neared exhaustion in the late 2000s, the Alberta government launched an initiative to design a new base, with an expected launch date of 2009. This project was eventually put on hold in favour of introducing an ABC-1234 format on the 1984 base. The new format started in 2010 at BBB-0000, with the letters A, E, I, O, Q and U skipped.
Support Our Troops plate
A specially designed plate was introduced on July 22, 2014 to honour current and former members of the Canadian armed forces. The design features artwork in honour of the first four Alberta-based Canadian soldiers whose lives were lost in Afghanistan in April 2002. The plate is available at registry agent locations in Alberta for a one-time $75 fee and a $9 registry agent service charge. For every plate purchased, $55 of the purchase price goes to the Support Our Troops Program managed by the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services.
Maps Vehicle registration plates of Alberta
Non-passenger plates
Previous plates
References
External links
- Alberta Licence Plates 1912-Date All Types
- Alberta licence plates 1969-present
- Service Alberta - Vehicle Licence Plate and Registration
Source of article : Wikipedia
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