Early Victorian Number Plates

The year 2010 marked the centenary of motor vehicle registration in Victoria.  The Motor Car Act 1909 which came into operation on 1 Jan 1910 required vehicles (cars, trucks and motor cycles) to display an identifying number.  Registration plates were not issued by the Government and owners were required to supply their own.  The details are best described by quoting the relevant clauses of the Act:

5: Each motor car not being a motor cycle registered under the Motor Car Act 1909 shall have firmly fixed in a central position, both on the front and back or rear part of the body of such motor car, a metal or wooden plate rectangular in shape, painted black, and having the identifying number shown on the registration certificate of such motor car painted thereon in white figures.  Instead of using a plate, it shall be permitted to paint the identifying number on the body of the car or petrol tank, provided that the position selected for such identifying number shall be prominent.

6.   Each figure on such plate shall be 3½ inches high.  Every part of each figure must be at least five-eighths of an inch broad, and the total width of the space taken up by each figure must be 2½ inches, except in the case of figure 1.

The space between adjoining figures must be ½ inch, and there must be a margin between the nearest part of any figure and the top and bottom of the plate of at least ½ inch, and between the nearest part of any figure and the sides of the plate of at least 1 inch.

We can compare these requirements with our present Victorian number plates of one hundred years later.  Figures and letter sizes for the standard plate are similar at approximately 75 mm (3 inches) high and up to 50 mm (2 inches) wide.  However there has been a significant reduction in the thickness of the figure/letter being now only about half the width at 7 mm (5/16 inch) wide.  Note that the actual font style and exact thickness has varied on Victorian number plates over the years depending on where they were manufactured.  The history of the development of Australian number plates is a complex story and the subtle details changes are subject to much debate.  Some more information on Australian number plates may be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Australia If you want to know the details of your vehicle - perhaps to establish originality, explore family car history or just to settle a bet then the AOMC Engine & Registration Record Search Service may be useful.  See the application form at the back of the AOMC Newsletter for details.  A copy may also be downloaded from the AOMC Web pages at  www.aomc.asn.au‍

Newsletter 172