In 1917 the state established a Motor Vehicle Department, now separate from the Secretary of States office, to manage all aspects of motoring.  Later the official title of this agency was changed to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) by which name it is still called.  In the same year of 1917 the use of porcelain marker plates was abandoned as too costly.  They were replaced during the 1917-1919 years by painted flat steel plates made for the state by an Ohio company.  The color schemes utilized changed slightly from year to year though all used an off-white background.  The sequence started with the numbers for 1917 being dark blue, 1918 was dark green and 1919 in black.  Beginning in 1919 the name of the state, expressed as "CONN." with a dot after the second "N", and the year of issue, were relocated to the bottom of the marker.  This form would remain fixed through 1936. 

The fronts of these markers were sprayed with a protective coating of clear varnish after the letters and numbers had been applied.  This varnish had a tendency to soon darken to a yellowish color in use and exposure to sunlight.  Almost all of the 1917-1919 markers that have survived to the present time have the discolored surface.  The markers produced in these years were not well received by the public due to this discoloration, the fragility of the paint in general and the plate's propensity to crack and warp in use.