Black Plate

Black Plate, originally uploaded by William 74.

Period correct license plates are another thing that make a nice finishing touch to an old car, even though they're not always legal for road use. The most popular vintage plates are the iconic California "black plates", which were used from 1963 to 1969. The phrase "original black plate car" is often heard in old car circles, to denote a car that spent it's entire life in the state (even though a car purchased in, say, Kansas could be brought in and registered with the same plates as a new car). In any event, the presence of a black plate will at least denote a car that's been in the state since the mid sixties, as they're still valid today, as long as they've not been transferred to a new car.

There's a big market for old black plates (heck, for old plates for any state), just because they look cool.