The first license plates in New Hampshire were issued in 1905. From 1905 through 1911, they did not have a designator of the year.
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Plate Material: Steel covered in porcelain enamel
* This data is from the ALPCA article referenced at the bottom of this page, and is a best guess and NOT necessarily 100% accurate.
Images courtesy Chris Cooper
Plate material changed to thin embossed steel. This ultimately caused the plates to rust prematurely, and was abandoned one year later.
Plate Material: Thin embossed steel
Image courtesy Chris Cooper
Plate material returned to steel covered in porcelain enamel.
Plate Material: Steel covered in porcelain enamel
This was the first year that the plate color was green numbers on a white background, and started an almost 60 year run of alternating colors every year (odd years were green letters on white backgrounds; even years were white letters on green or dark backgrounds)
Image courtesy Chris Cooper
Plate material changed to flat steel with stenciled numbers.
Plate material changed to embossed steel, which would last through 1937. Also the first year motorists were allowed to keep their plate number at their own discretion.
The only year the "Old Man of the Mountains" logo is embossed right into the plate.
These are the only years the plates had two years on the, (39-40, for example). These were still single year plates, but indicated that they did not expire until March 31, of the next year.
Instead of issuing a new plate, a single tab with a "NH 43" on it was issued in return for the entire front 1942 plate, which was then receycled to help with the war effort. These tabs were serialized, but the serial number did not correspond to anything on the original 1942 plate.
Only a single plate wwas distributed during this year, to aid in the war effort
Again, only a single plate was distributed. Additionally, the plate was white on black, rather than white on green, to aid in the war effort.
Return to issuing two plates. This was the last year of black plates.
This was the first year that County Codes were included with the plate number. The first letter corresponded to the following counties:
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Plate sized changed to the national standard 6" by 12".
This was the first year that "Scenic" was displayed on the plate. It will be on every passenger plate from 1957 through 1970, with the exception of 1963's "Photoscenic".
The license plate motto "Scenic" is replaced for a single year by "Photoscenic", in an attempt to increase tourism to the state.
The plate material is forever changed to less-expensive aluminium.
There are two types of 1963 plates - those with a border and those without (both pictured at right).
The first year of the current motto - "Live Free or Die".
A 1977 Supreme Court case, Wooley v Maynard, was fought to remove this motto from the plates, as some found it too ideological. In the end, it was ruled that the motto stayed, but drivers could cover it up.
The first year or re-validation stickers.
New Hampshire allowed car owners to replace the front plate with a special bicentennial plate, commemeorating the 200th anniversary of both our country and the NH Legislature. There were a large number of becentennial plates available, made by the state (1 - pictured at right), county (1), or various towns (dozens). The numbers on the bicentennial plates were unrelated to the numbers on the owners original plate. The program was extended in 1977.
Interim plates fiasco - interim plates are issued with a red-on-white design, rumoured to have bothered the Govenor Mel Thompson because they looked like the Massachussets plate. All plates in this series begin with the letter X and go from XA through XN. Half way through the issue (at XE), the color was changed back to green-on-white, and a number of plates in the XB to XE series were repainted green over the red.
NH ran out of County number conbinations. While the state decided what format to use, they issued an interim series to new registrants. These plates were in the traditional county format of two letters and 1 to 4 numbers. The initial letter X was used on the series and only single plates were issued while other NH plates were issued in pairs. As there was only one plate but two stickers both stickers were put on the single plate. Red on white plates were issued for four months, but because Mass used red on white plates there was confusion. All unissued X plates were recalled and repainted the traditional NH Green.
At this time, the county code system is also abandoned.
New, ultra-boring plate issued
New base plate introduced, which included the Old Man of the Mountians graphic between the words "New" and "Hampshire".
Special front plate made for the University of New Hampshire's 100th anniverary. Could be placed on front in lieu of the regular front plate through June 30, 1994.
New base introduced, with the "Old Man of the Mountains" in a graphic background.
Introduction of Conservation Moose Plate. This introduction is also not without controversy, as a law in NH states that all revenues from specialty plates (not that we have really had that many) go to the Highway Department, whereas the revenue from this plate benefit conservation efforts. Really - some people have too much time on their hands!