1910-1913: Single Year Markers Start

The passage of Chapter 211 of the Public Acts of 1909 repealed the 1907 motor vehicle law, replacing it with a more comprehensive set of regulations.  The new legislation mandated yearly passenger registrations and markers, with all previous plates issued expiring on December 31, 1909.  Until the 1960s, all passenger registrations ran from January 1 to December 31 each year.  The porcelain coated markers, similar in style to those produced in the latter part of 1909, continued in the block letter style, though now more pronounced, and retained the letter “C” prefix.  For 1910 these markers featured white lettering on a red background, 1911 was blue on white, 1912 had white on green and 1913 was white on cobalt blue.  The height of the marker plates was fixed at 5 1/2 inches, but the length varied with the number of digits of the registration. They ranged from 10 3/4 inches for a single digit example to 19 inches for those with five numbers.  In 1910 the number of passenger registrations exceeded 10,000 for the first time and the total seemed to grow by 20% each successive year.