TOW (& Answer)...

This week’s question was when did the state of California begin issuing license plates with bonus points for describing what the first plates looked like.  The state of California began issuing license plates on March 22, 1905.  The plates for the years 1905-1913 were known as prestate plates since the state only assigned numbers leaving the vehicle owner to make their own plates.  In 1914 the state actually began to manufacture plates.  They were basic blue on white plates.

The question (& answer) were taken from p. 271 of State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols by Bejnamin F. Shearer and Barbara S. Shearer.  The book was published in 1994 by Greenwood Press.