style of 1914-15 (14 is smaller)
Style of 1916-17
Style of 1918-24
1924 Type II
Style of 1925-31
Style of 1932-36
Bottom plate is a replacement
Style of 3/38 - 3/40
Style of 3/41-3/42
Unique slogan for 3/43
Windshield Sticker for 1945
Style of 3/44-3/52
Note the officially issued front booster plate, to promote highway safety.
Style of 1956-63
Unique to 1967
Style of 1964-66, 68-72
Style of 1973-74
Style of 1975-84
(Different die types exist)
Style of 1984-date
Current motorcycle plate
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How it all began...
Motor vehicles were required to be registered just one
year after Alberta became a province in 1906. Prior to that, it was
considered part of the NWT. The province assigned a number, and the
motorist was required to provide the markers. These were usually
made of leather or sometimes painted directly on the car. One motorist
Joe Morris was assigned #1, and he took the liberty of displaying his number
using a broomstick! After being dragged into court he won his case by arguing
that the broomstick was in the shape of the number '1'. So, needless to say, the
early markers didn't always carry the identification of the province.
In 1912 the province began issuing annual license plates.
Early Alberta plates are quite rare, simply because Alberta
did not become a developed province until the 40s, when the oil boom started
after the war. Its population and wealth back then were considerably
lower than they are today.
Physical Characteristics
| 1906-11 |
Owner Provided |
| 1912-13 |
Porcelain |
| 1914-15 |
Flat Steel crimped over Wire Rim |
| 1916-17 |
Flat Steel |
| 1918-36 |
Embossed steel |
| 1937 |
Windshield sticker used to validate '36 plate |
| 1938-44 |
Embossed Steel |
| 1945 |
Windshield Sticker for '44 plate.
Some new registrants received '45 dated plates. |
| 1945-51 |
Embossed Steel |
| 1952 |
Embossed Steel, beaded reflectorized numbers |
| 1953 |
Aluminum tab on '52 plate. |
| 1952-66 |
Embossed Steel |
| 1967 |
Embossed Steel, Beaded reflectorization |
| 1968-73 |
Embossed Steel, Beaded reflectorized numbers |
| 1974 |
Plate sticker used to validate 73 base. |
| 1975-84 |
Steel reflectorized base, (validated by plate stickers) |
| 1984-91 |
Steel reflectorized graphic, (validated by plate stickers) |
| 1992-date |
Steel unreflectorized graphic (validated
by plate stickers) |
-
Alberta's first porcelain plate shares the same design as
the
'11 Ont, '11 Man & '13 BC.
-
There were two types issued in 1924. The more common
type resembles the 1918 through 1923 design, and the latter has the design
similar to the 1924 Ontario plate with the crimped over edges.
- For many years, if you lost one of your plates, a replacement was made up from a blank
with the numbers painted on, such as the 1933 shown at left and this motorcycle plate below.
-
From 1938-52, plates were marked to expire 3/31 of that year.
There is no dated '37 plate.
-
Alberta was the first province to use beaded reflecotrization
on a general issue, in 1952.
(Ontario had beaded reflectorized plates in 1939 but
that was only for Doctors).
-
Beaded reflectorization was used for the entire plate only
in 1967. The white background was an unfortunate choice as the plates
quickly became dirty and illegible.
-
Reflectorization was abandoned in 1992 as a cost-cutting
measure.
-
There are many die types from 1975 onwards based on various
manufacturers used.
-
All plates issued since 1984 are valid.
This flat tin plate which shares the same dies and manufacture
as the 1920 Ontario is not the normal 1921 plate (which should be embossed,
with "ALTA" & "1921" on the right). However the colors are accurate.
Experts aren't exactly sure why this is. Perhaps it is a replacement
for an Albertan motorist who lost his plate in Ontario, or more likely,
a manufacturer's sample from the same company that made the 1920 Ontario
plates.
 
From about the 20s to 50s, Alberta issued plates with a red border to residents
within Banff National Park. This was so that they could easily be spotted and flagged through
the gates. What did they do, if the plate itself was red? They resorted to a green border!
 
Just a few of the many styles for the current Wild
Rose Graphic base.
Slogans & Graphics
| 1913-15 |
Provincial Crest |
| 1941-42 |
"DRIVE SAFELY" |
| 1943 |
"CANADA" |
| 1967 |
"1867 - 1967" w/ Stylized maple leaf. |
| 1973-date |
"WILD ROSE COUNTRY" |
| 1984-date |
Wild Rose graphic. |
-
1967: 100th Anniversary of the formation of Canada
Numbering Systems
| - 1951 |
Numeric, up to 6 digits |
| 1952-53 |
12A34, 1A234 formats |
| 1954-59 |
AB 123 format |
| 1960-63 |
AB 1234 format |
| 1964-74 |
AB·12·34 format |
| 1975-date |
ABC·123 format |
Non-passenger types
| C, CV |
Commercial |
| D |
Dealer |
| E |
Exempt |
| F |
Farm |
| G |
Government owned vehicle |
| T |
Trailer |
In most cases, the type is spelled out on the plate.
The letters shown may not be in the prefix position, but often in
the second position.
Early ambulance / doctor plates. The first one was made from a regular passenger.
Special Issues (1988 Calgary Winter Olympics)
 |
This is the approved special issue, designed by
MVLS,
the official licensee of this product. The plate could only be displayed
on the front and had to match the motorist's rear plate, per section
46.1 of the Motor Vehicle Administration Act. It was valid
for the duration of the Olympics, and for a short period after that, until
Mar. 31, 1988. These plates were also made up as souvenirs for residents
outside the province. Shown here is such a sample. |
 |
This is the souvenir version of the above plate, made
of thin aluminum and non-reflectorized. Various designs were available,
but none could be registered to any vehicle. |
 |
According to the ALPCA Newsletter, this plate was
on one of 35 vehicles which drove across Canada bearing the Olympic torch.
One resident of Sherbrooke Quebec told me he vividly remembered these plates
as the motorcade passed through his hometown. |
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