From this:

To this:

This book will cover the entire history of Canadian license plates from the very first issue in Ontario in 1903 to the present-day plates seen on the road.  Each province and territory will get equal coverage, with a photo in full color for every year license plates were issued.  Other topics covered will be: motorcycle plates, plates issued to political and foreign dignitaries, special events, HAM radio operators, historic vehicles and more!  An appendix will list vehicle registration figures for each province/territory and also include tips on license plate collecting.

This book is indispensible to the license plate collector, historian, and carbuff alike.

Canada:  1338 Morley Blvd, Ottawa, Ontario, K2C 1R2  (613) 225-8239;
US:     2604½ David Circle, Fairmont, WV 26554 (304) 363-7088
Internet: e-mail:   webmaster@canplates.com Website:   http://www.canplates.com

Here are a list of license plates I still need to photograph for this book.  I am primarily interested in photos, but I will also consider an outright purchase if you are looking to sell.  An asterisk (*) means I need to photograph a better example, preferably with good strong color.  Any leads are appreciated. Also would love to hear about any Canadian plates that you feel are special, even if not listed below, for possible inclusion in my book.   Full credit will be given for any photos that I ultimately use.  Please direct your enquiries to the above address.

• Passenger plates
• BC: 15*, 26*
• Alta: Pre-provincial (pre 12), 37 winshield stkr, 3/45 dated, 1971 ("ALBERTA 1971" variety)
• Sask: Pre-provincial (pre 12), 18 embossed*, undated (1919) tin & porc. bases, 44 w/s stkr
• Man: Pre-provincial (pre 11), 1911 (or earlier) dashboard disc. 44 w/s stkr.
• Que: pre-11 undated white/cobalt blue porcelain.  Montreal 1904-06 porcelains (may be undated w/o city name). 1963 A or B suffix.
• NB: Pre-provincial (pre 11), 43 & 44 w/s stkrs.
• NS: 44 w/s stkr, City of Halifax c1910 porcelain.
• PEI: pre 1917, undated or dated examples of tin.
• Nfld (St. John's): Pre 19 undated, 21, 22, 23, 24.  NOTE: There is no place name on these plates.
• Nfld:  25*; Happy Valley: ALL except 1956.  This is part of Labrador.
• Yuk: pre 1917, 24*, 26, 35*, 3/54 tab.
• NWT: 42, 44 w/s stkr, 45
• Nunavut: 99, 00.  Also need any other Nunavut types, except those which read '000'.
• Antique Auto
• Nfld: Cabot base; Yukon: Current graphic miner base; NWT: ??
• Misc
• Vanities from Sask, NS and Yukon: Prefer interesting name or saying.
• Current Motorcycle plates from NWT (baby bear), Yukon, Nfld.  Any motorcycle plates pre 1950.
• NB: wooden tractor plate; Man: 44 trailer (made from turned-in 1941 passenger!), 75 Remote Area (RA).
• Unused Stickers needed for most Canadian provinces and for most years.
• War Amps Keychain Tags: NWT & PEI.  Pre 1950 from any province.  Que 1950-57.
• HAM Radio
• BC: VA7 (1998 or later); NB: VE1 (1959 first issue); PEI: VY2 (Confederation Bridge base).
• Political, Official, #1
• BC: pre 1970 #1; Sask: Lt-Gov (crown), Consular Corps. Man: Premier (unsure of number).
• Ont: Lt-Gov. w/ Big Crown. NS: Premier (AAA-001); Yukon: #1 (any year).
• Plus any other political issues which you feel are interesting.
• Special Event
• BC: Commonwealth Games (1994).
• Ontario: Royal Visit 1982 (RV 82 w/ big crown).  RV 81.

For those who will be taking photos and then mailing them to me, here are some guidelines:

• Slides are preferred.  But 4x6" glossy (not matte) prints are okay.
• Photograph the plates against a neutral (ideally grey) background.
• If you don't have an elaborate light set-up, natural light is preferred outside.  Avoid shadows, so an overcast day is best.
• Set the f-stop to slightly overexpose the picture.  Overexposure is better than underexposure, especially with dark blues and greens.  With my indoor light set-up for example, I've been using between f4.0 and 5.6 at 1/60 sec
• Including a ruler in with the photo wiil be helpful, especially if the plates are of odd sizes.  If you have a color separation chart is a bonus.
• The camera should be approximately 40" away from the subject.  I use a 50mm lens. You can photograph 4 standard 6x12 plates at a time and they should fill most of the frame.  Photograph smaller (m/c sized) plates at the same distance.
• It is preferable to photograph the plates looking straight down, rather than at an angle or hanging on a display board.  Square-on shots will avoid "keystoning" effects.