The Winnipeg Auto Club was formed in 1904, and shortly thereafter on Feb. 25, 1908 the province required all motor vehicles to be registered for the flat fee of $2.  The registrant received a round aluminum disc to be mounted on the dashboard, and the markers were to be owner-provided.  Unfortunately not many of these owner-made plates carry any inscription of Manitoba, making them difficult to authenticate without supporting documentation.  They are typcially made of leather, with metal house numbers attached.

On March 24, 1911, legislation was passed mandating annual registration with the province providing the plates.  Fees were $5 for all vehicles, except $2 for motorcycles.  It is thought that motorcycles received discs instead of plates that year, based on old photos.
 

• The first official issue was 1911.  Before that plates were provided by the owner.

Unfortunately there was no stipulation that the province name appear on the plate. Therefore these may be hard to identify.
• Manitoba's first porcelain plate shares the same design as the  '11 Ont, '11 Man & '12 Alta.
• NOTE: from '20 to '24 dealer plates used opposite color schemes, but are otherwise indistinguishable from the passenger plates.  Since the paint may be gone on these plates, the best clue is the number:
• '20: 35,000 and above
• '21: 45,000 and above
• '22-'25: 50,000 and above
• One of the '41 plates had to be turned in for the war effort in order to receive the '42 plates.
• NOTE: Some of the '48 bases (6 digit) are undated.
• Manitoba was the last jurisdiction in North America to use tabs on plates.  Use of these tabs ended in 1970.  From 1953 to 70 the tabs were for the rear plate only.
• The plates issued from '83-'86 were valid until 1997.
• Interestingly enough, reflectorization was dropped in 1987 as a cost-cutting measure, but it was re-introduced with a new graphic in 1997.
• Only the current graphic plate issued since 1997  is valid.

• 1967: 100th Annversary of the Formation of Canada, Confederation. (1867)
• 1970: 100th Anniversary of joining Confederation (1870)
• The Bison Motif plate is one of my favorites.

• From 1952 to 1970 the complicated 5 character numbering scheme was very similar to  Ontario's from 1937-54 .

• In most cases the type is spelled out on the plate.
• During 1944 most vehicles received winshield stickers but others such as trailers and motorcycles received tabs or plates.
• RA stands for "Remote Area", a passenger car registered in a region of limited road access, therefore qualifying for lower registration fees.  Not many of these are isssued.

Rare '44 m/c tab

In an ingeneous way of recycling, the 1944 Manitoba trailer plate was made from the turned in 1941 plates.  The 'TL' inscription was screened on, and a '44 sticker added!

Note the big lettering on this plate.

Current motorcycle plate

Boosters and Tag Toppers

	This officially sanctioned booster plate could replace the front plate for 1957.  However, it had to be replaced, the following year. Manitoba is referred to as the Keystone Province because it is in the centre of the country where East meets West.  This slogan was used for decades, though today you don't hear much about it.
	In 1967, to celebrate Canada's Centennial and the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, the province issued this special booster plate at extra cost.  It could be displayed on the front of the car but the front plate had to be kept for the following years.
	In 1970, another officially sanctioned booster plate of similar design was issued.  This one celebrated Manitoba's Centennial into Confederation.  The 'First "IN" Province' means Manitoba was the first province to join Confederation after Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick  and Nova Scotia formed Canada in 1867.
	This interesting booster plate celebrates Winnipeg's Centennial in 1974.  It is made of thin plastic, so it probably didn't last.  However it was sold with a neat frame which more than likely was used for years after the centennial.
	This cast aluminum license plate "topper" was attached above the rear plate.  It was issued by the Manitoba Motor League to members, and annually validated by aluminum discs, from the 1920s to about the 50s.

Links

• Stickers on plates 1971-date,  Vehicle Registration Figures.
• Manitoba non-passenger plates, by Manny Jacob: 1983-97 bases