02/03/12

Michigan

PASSENGER

"79" base:

1983 white/blue "GREAT LAKES" base:  This design began in late 1982 with only month stickers issued for 1984 expirations.  After 1983, yearly stickers were issued.  There were a number of versions of the base and they are listed as follows:

Type I: This design originally started the "000 AAA" plate number format and had a larger "MICHIGAN" that was the same size as the previous "79" dated issue.

Type II: Shortly after this design started, the "MICHIGAN" was reduced in size and was the sized used for the rest of this series.

Type III: Plates in the "FAA" through "GPZ" blocks were made of aluminum and had oval bolt holes.

Type IV: In 1990, the plate numbers were flipped to a "AAA 000" format.

Type V: Sometime during 1998, the stickerwells were removed (around the beginning of the "QAA" series).  Beginning in late 1997 (1998 expirations), the stickers included both the month and year,
discontinuing the two-sticker system.  In addition, the new month/year stickers were much larger than the old month and year stickers, larger than the stickerwell.  Therefore the left stickerwell was no longer needed and the state, evidently, felt that they might as well remove the right stickerwell as well.

Type VI: In 2001, beginning with the "UDU" block, narrower dies were used in preparation of the seven-digit plates to come when the "ZZZ" block was exhausted.

Type VII: In 2004, the state went to a seven-digit "AAA0000" plate number format.

Type VIII: In 2006, the plate number dies were modified to a smaller, squared format that allowed for a space between the letters and numbers.

Type V:

2001 (reflective white/blue) vg $3.00 "QBT 209" (11204)

2001 (reflective white/blue) vg $3.00 "QLJ 837" (11212)

2002 (reflective white/blue) vg $3.00 "TXL 385" (11215)

2002 (reflective white/blue) vg $3.00 "TUD 230" (11218)

type VI:

2005 (reflective white/blue) vg $3.00 "ZPR 978" (11239)

2007 blue/white base:  This general issue fully replaced the blue plates by the end of 2007.  These plates continued the small squared plate numbers and began at "BAA 0000".