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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    1,430

    Found plate

    A few weeks ago I was running some new Romex in my basement and found this nailed to the ceiling (subfloor). This 103 year old house is still giving up secrets.
    Attached Images Attached Images

    Jeff Watson
    Seattle, WA
    '63 Tudor Wagon (170 - 3 spd.)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Federal Way
    Posts
    906
    Nice. That's pretty cool how the 57 is stuck on there. I've never seen them like that.
    Don Bartlett
    Federal Way, WA
    61 Four Door Sedan
    144-6, 3 on the tree



  3. #3

    Washington plate.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff W View Post
    A few weeks ago I was running some new Romex in my basement and found this nailed to the ceiling (subfloor).
    Why was it put there?
    Dennis Pierson
    Tampa, FL
    "The Wonder Falcon"

    '63 Futura Hardtop (260, Ford-O-Matic, bench seat)

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    East Wenatchee
    Posts
    37
    The plate can still be used on a current vehicle today. My father-in-law purchased a '57 Belair recently and wanted plates that were correct for '57. He searched locally until he found a '57 plate in an antique store. Paid a fortune for it but then took a photo and submitted with his collector car application. New plates came with the old number and I believe looked very similar.

  5. #5
    Cool plate. Wonder what its history is. Like what the A stands for. I liked the metal fold-over year tags back then.
    Roger Moore

    63 "Flarechero"
    powered by: 347ci stroker | Tremec T5 | 8" 3:45 TracLoc rear



  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    1,430
    Cory, yes, the year of manufacture plate is pretty easy to do and only a one time charge so the cost of the plate quickly pays for itself without the annual registration. I have a pair of 1963 plates on the Falcon.

    Roger, the "A" signifies it was issued in King County. Apparently and strangely this was a one year issued plate for 1957. Although it says 54 under the 57 tab, the actual 1954-1956 plates were longer. In 1957 Washington decided to adopt the National plate size. They must have reused parts of the earlier die (including the part with the 54) until they could revamp the entire design in 1958.

    There is a whole subculture of plate collectors that are over the top.

    Here is an awesome website about Washington Plate History worth a few minutes of browsing.

    http://staff.washington.edu/bbirt/

    Jeff Watson
    Seattle, WA
    '63 Tudor Wagon (170 - 3 spd.)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Mill Creek
    Posts
    1,224

    Found plate

    Really cool write up on all this. Liked the home info and enjoyed learning about the license plates. Hopefully you find a good home or wall or something for your 57 plate. Can't believe the condition. Larry
    Larry Smith
    1964 Futura
    347 stroker



  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    1,430
    Quote Originally Posted by ew1usnr View Post
    Why was it put there?
    The basement ( for you Florida folk, that is a level under the house that is below grade) goes under the front porch. It looks like the plate was covering a small gap where the porch floor meets the wall. Since it is a covered porch, it stayed dry and the plate is in good shape and straightened out well.

    I had repaired the gap from the top years ago when I painted the house and porch floor.

    In 1957 the Gunderson twin girls were living here with their mom. They were not very handy and rarely hired anyone to do repair or maintenance. The plate was nailed up with four tiny upholstery tacks. The Gunderson women lived here from 1922 until 1980 when the last of them died. The house was condemned and sat vacant until 1987 when it was saved and poorly rebuilt into a pot grow operation. We have been here since 1996 (bought it from the DEA) and just like my Falcon, nearly every piece of this house has been repaired, or replaced.
    Last edited by Jeff W; November 29th, 2015 at 10:00 AM.

    Jeff Watson
    Seattle, WA
    '63 Tudor Wagon (170 - 3 spd.)

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