California currently has three color combinations for
its license plates:
Gold on black, issued from 1963 until 1970;
Gold on blue, issued from 1970 to 1987; and
Blue on white, issued 1982 - present.
Plates issued in 1962 or earlier are no longer in use, because
in 1963, California replaced all existing license plates.
Existing law authorizes the State Department of Motor
Vehicles (DMV) to issue to motor vehicles 1962 and older
"year-of-manufacture" license plates, which are license
plates "with the date of year corresponding to the model
year date license plate when the vehicle was
manufactured" in lieu of the license plates otherwise
required by this code." A permanent sticker tab for the
display of the current registration sticker is placed
behind and extended above the upper corner of the license
plate. Specified additional fees are required for the
issuance of these license plates.
Note that for vehicles after 1962, unless the black/gold plate was the
original one licensed to the vehicle, you are out of luck. You cannot use
the black/gold plates, even if you have them, unless they were licensed to
the car originally.
Assemblyman Briggs attempted to change the law to allow "year of
manufacture" plates to be placed on cars from 1963 to 1973. Thus, under his
proposal, if you acquired a black/gold plate, you could use it on your
vehicle if your auto was manufactured and/or registered before 1971. The
bill passed both houses in California but the good Governor Davis vetoed the
bill. Wasn't that nice?!
So, you can't do much about it. However, occasionally you will find some
friendly California DMV official that either doesn't know the law or chooses
to ignore it. That's great when it happens, but I wouldn't count on it too
often.
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