12/03/11

West Virginia

PASSENGER

Passenger: For a number of years, the first character of the plate number is the month of expiration with "1" through "9" representing January through September and the letters "O", "N", and "D" representing October, November, and December, respectively.  In addition, each year, the new plate that is issued has incorporated into the plate design a picture of a replica of the sticker for that year (without the sticker serial number).  The plate is then renewed with an actual sticker (with the sticker serial number).  In the listing below, the term "natural" means a plate that only has the screened sticker design with no actual stickers on top of it.

1976 map/outline base:  West Virginia's first graphic base began in 1976 with a large yellow map of the state at the left of the plate.  The map was outlined in blue.  These plates also adopted a staggered registration system where the first character on the plate was the month of expiration.  Numbers "1" through "9" indicated January through September expirations.  October expirations had the letter "O", November was "N", and December was "D".  The plate number format for all months was "MA-0000". For each year of this designs use, the first year of issue was screened in the bottom right corner of the plate and stickers were issued for subsequent expirations.

1982 map/no outline base:  Beginning during 1982, the state made two changes.  The blue line around the yellow graphic map was removed and the plate number format was changed to add another letter: "MAA-000", with "M" being the month of expiration.  As with the previous design, each year from 1982 through the end of the design's use in 1995 had the year screened in the bottom right corner of the plate.  Stickers were issued for subsequent expirations.

1995 blue bar base:  From this year to the present, West Virginia has issued this design with the state name on a blue bar at the top of the plate.  These plates continue the plate format and dating as previously, that is, the first character in the plate number is the month of expiration and the "sticker" design is screened at the bottom right corner of the plate for the first year of expiration for the plate.  Subsequent expirations are actual stickers that look like the screened "sticker", but with a serial number.  During this plate design, the plate number format continued the one-alpha-four-numeric format "MA 0000" (with "M" being the month code).  When a month ran out of numbers, the format changed to a two-alpha-three-numeric format "MAA 000".  The listings below are yearly based on the natural plates.  Following the natural plates will be renewed plates with the top sticker being the same year as the naturals in the group.

Screened "96":

Screened "97":

Screened "98":

Screened "99":

1999 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) June natural exc $8.00 "6X 7478" (10695)

1999 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) July natural exc $8.00 "7W 8566" (10696)

1999 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) August natural exc $8.00 "8W 8781" (10697)

1999 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) September natural exc $8.00 "9Y 2665" (10698)

1999 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) November natural exc $8.00 "NU 8919" (10699)

Screened "2000":

Website design: Beginning during the 2001 expiration series, the state incorporated into the design the state's website address "www.callwva.com" just below the state name, resulting in two types of 2001 plates: with and without the website address.  The website address was removed during the 2007 expiration series and look just like the plates before the website address was added.

Screened "2001":

2001 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) September natural exc $8.00 "9CA 300" (10703)

Screened "2002":

2002 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) September natural exc $8.00 "9DT 117" (10707)

2002 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) December natural exc $8.00 "DBY 546" (10708)

Screened "2003":

2003 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) January natural exc $8.00 "1Z 5600" (10709)

Screened "2004":

2004 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) July natural exc $8.00 "7GF 396" (10712)

2004 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) September natural exc $8.00 "9GM 456" (10713)

Screened "2005":

2005 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) January natural exc $8.00 "1BV 988" (10714)

2005 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) March natural exc $8.00 "3FJ 995" (10715)

2005 (blue/reflective white & multicolored) April natural exc $8.00 "4GG 480" (10716)

Screened "2006":

Screened "2007":

Screened "2008":

Screened "2009":