City of Armadale - History House > Records

PLATE, LICENSE - AK 199

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c. 1920 - 1929

Overview

A rectangle motorcycle plate made out of metal enamel. The letters are in a yellow colour and spell [AK 199] with a circle acting a space between the two groups of words.

There are six holes. Two on the long edges about two thirds from centre and one on each short side on the middle.

Historical information

In 1910 license plates were introduced nationwide to identify vehicles used in crimes or causing injury.

Early plates were made of enamel with the sequence on the front. The sequence started at 1 with the regional indicator on the left such as displayed on this license plate. The regional indicator was a two or sometimes three letter abbreviation for the Roads Board or the subdistrict municipality. The [AK] is for Armadale-Kelmscott.

In 1936 a nationwide standardising directive was issued, requiring all license plates to be of a set uniform size and embossed with Australian standard dies. This would have made this style of license plate obsolete.

In the following decades shifts in legislation have changed the requirements license plates must meet. Mostly this has been materials, size, and colours.

In the following decades ammendments to legislation covering license plates have changed the required size, sequencing, materials, and colouring.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-33-AK2000.32

Item type

Transport

Year

c. 1920 - 1929

Statement of significance

MEDIUM

This plate is a representation of the time when license plates were first introduced to motor vehicles in 1910 onward.

The [AK] stands for Armadale-Kelmscott which shows the district was separate from Perth unlike today with urban sprawl linking the two.