Studebaker factory license plates

[jnewkirk77]

In perusing the 171 photos out of Life's collection, my license plate collector's eye couldn't help but notice the Indiana "DEALER NEW" plates on the classics from the company collection during the 100th Anniversary celebration. Of course, I always get a chuckle when I see new-car dealer plates on vehicles that old ... wait, wait, I know ... get a life, Newkirk!

Anyway, does anyone know if any of Studebaker's old license plates are still around anywhere? Most of them had numbers starting with 997M, and some I have seen started with 46M, but the 997M plates outnumber the others in the factory shots I've seen. If nothing else, if anyone has any, I'd hope they'd find their way to the museum, because that's where such things belong.

I'm guessing they're all LONG gone, but hey, it's worth checking, I suppose.

Jacob Newkirk - Owensboro, KY

KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL! Drive a Studebaker!

[studegary]

You would know better than I, but I thought that all of the manufacturers used MANUFACTURER plates and new and/or used car dealers used DEALER plates.

Gary L.
Wappinger, NY

SDC member since 1968
Studebaker enthusiast much longer

[jnewkirk77]

In most states, that's true. But in Indiana, at least up until maybe 20 years ago, manufacturers and dealers used dealer plates. I believe that was the reason for the "M" in the plates.

In all honesty, the first time I saw any sort of Indiana manufacturer's plate was in some literature I got from AM General when the Hummer first became available for civilian sale. Wish I knew what I did with that, because it clearly showed "MFG DLR" on one of the plates.

Jacob Newkirk - Owensboro, KY

KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL! Drive a Studebaker!

[barnlark]

Here are a couple

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390008932956&category=32772&_trksid=p2773.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSI%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D40%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D54

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=390008300793&Category=32772&_trksid=p3907.m29&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D2

[Lark8girl]

Indiana dealer plates are identified with a "M which stands for "Merchant"

Dealer plates with a up to 3 didgets before the "M" are for new car dealers. If it has 4 didgets that means a used car dealer.

The number after the "M" is the number of the one of many plates the dealer has. "IE" 977M 22 or 977M 105
Usually M 1 is for the dealer and M 2 for wife, and M 3 for managers
and so on for sales people and technicians.

MFG plates usage began long after the Studebaker era.
Probably in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

From a former Indiana car salesman
husband of Lark VIII girl

[PlainBrownR2]

If the plates exist, or if one wants to find that one off plate or dealer plate, one place to start looking is license plate collectors for the Studebaker only mfg plates. Over here collectors will show up at the normal swap meets, and it never hurts to riffle through the boxes of plates they have. That's how we bought IL dealer plates for the Lark and the Avanti. I gotta say though they may ask a higher than average price for a plate, since the plate may be there rare one of one plate in the collection(right next to the IL soybean plates and the quarter length two digit full size automobile IL plate).



[img=left]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t102/PlainBrownR2/My%201950%202r5%20Studebaker%20Pickup%20with%20turbocharger/P1000137-1.jpg[/img=left]
[img=right]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t102/PlainBrownR2/DSC00005.jpg?t=1171153370[/img=right]
[IMG=left]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t102/PlainBrownR2/Ex%20Studebaker%20Plant%20Locomotive/P1000578-1.jpg[/IMG=left]

[Swifster]

Most manufacturer/dealer plates go for more than standard passenger car plates because many like to collect offbeat plates for a state run. As mentioned, the first three numbers will define the company or dealer. So I'd guess (never having looked into it) that 997 denotes Studebaker. They used to be changed every year (and MI still does). Some states are using decals to update the plate yearly just like the passenger plates.

Check out the ALPCA website. I haven't been on there for a while so no guarantees. There are a couple of guys who specialize in IN plates and they have their own websites. A quick search should locate them.

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Tom - Mulberry, FL

1964 Studebaker Daytona - 289 4V, 4-Speed (Cost To Date: $2125.60)