What's a 59 Plate ?

[Bumpy]

Being in the New World, I am ignorant of the number plates available in the UK.
When someone mentions a '59 Plate" what does that mean.
Also there is always several pages of custom / personal plates advertised in the pages of British Enthusiasts mags.
Can these be bought and sold like a commodity ?
In Ontario, a personalized plate can be purchased. It remains your property and cannot be sold. It can be passed on to your offspring when you pass away.
Other than that a personal plate is out of circulation forever.

 

[GrimleyFiendish]

59 represents the year the vehicle was registered in the UK - 59 being after Sept 2009 and before March 2010. After March 2010 the number changed to 10, after Sept 2010 it went to 60, then 11 and 61 for the next year and so on.

 

[bigdog]

:scratchhead: :scratchhead: :scratchhead: Wouldn't "09" represent 2009. Leave it to a government bureaucrat to make a simple thing such as the year overly complicated.

I remember in the complicated ole days. If one bought a car (lets say in 1949) and upon first registering it the plate had 1949 on it. I just don't know how they dealt with a system so convoluted as that . In the states. We no longer put years on number plates and generally put a yearly registration sticker (tax disc?) upon the number plate that will have the current year on it. Our personal plates work the same as the OP's Canadian system.
When I lived in Japan. The year was how ever many years the emperor has reigned.

 

[dan yeates]

09 = Sept 2008 to March 2009.
59 = Sept 2009 to March 2010.

 

[BPM-Z4R]

09 = Sept 2008 to March 2009.
59 = Sept 2009 to March 2010.

:| Should it not be
09 = March 2009 to Sept 2009.
59 = Sept 2009 to March 2010.

Thought Sept 2008 to March 2009 was 58?

 

[Bing]

See, even we don't have a feckin clue ! Stoopid Stoopid Stoopid

 

[dan yeates]

09 = Sept 2008 to March 2009.
59 = Sept 2009 to March 2010.

:| Should it not be
09 = March 2009 to Sept 2009.
59 = Sept 2009 to March 2010.

Thought Sept 2008 to March 2009 was 58?

Yes, you're correct, sorry! :lol:

I'm recovering from flu, so I'm not quite all there at the moment! :dizzy:

 

[ben g]

it really is quite simple when you understand it :lol:

it started with 51 in september 2001.

then:

02, 52, 03, 53, 04, 54, 05, 55, 06, 56, 07, 57, 08, 58, 09, 59, 10, 60, 11, 61, 12, 62.

 

[PerryGunn]

For our foreign viewers - and this ignores private plates, kit cars and all cars registered before 01 September 2001 when a different format was in use

- UK number plates change twice each year on 01 March and 01 September
- The standard number plate format was changed from September 2001 to RRYY LLL, where
--- RR = two letters indicating region of registration
--- YY = (half) year of registration (see below)
--- LLL = three letters to make the plate unique

The RR part is not as simple as county or city but has some logic - see here if you're interested http://www.kingkong.demon.co.uk/where/gb.htm

On 01 March the YY part changes to the current year, 09 for 2009, 10 for 2010 etc.
On 01 September the YY part changes to the current year + 50, so 59 for 2009, 60 for 2010 etc.

The LLL part is a three letter combination to ensure a unique registration, some letters are not used (I, Q) and 'offensive' combinations are not issued

So a typical UK number plate might read GU58 ABC - this would indicate that it was registered in the south-east (GU = Garden of England, issued at the Brighton office) sometime between 01 September 2008 and 28 February 2009

HTH

 

[Lillywhite]

The first number plate that had the designated year of registration was A at the end. First used just in Middlesex in 1963 as a trial. When rolled out nationwide in 1964 it was a B which was on my second car, reg DPE 58B, a Triumph Herald. Loved that car! :wink:

 

[domsz4]

didnt they have to do something as they were going to run out of letters and didnt want to go back to A again at the beginning on the older (im not old enough to know anything else...just) system.


you should also mention that you can effectivly put almost any plate on a car so long as it doesnt make it appear to be newer than it should.

 

[AlanJ]

Also there is always several pages of custom / personal plates advertised in the pages of British Enthusiasts mags.
Can these be bought and sold like a commodity ?
In Ontario, a personalized plate can be purchased. It remains your property and cannot be sold. It can be passed on to your offspring when you pass away.
Other than that a personal plate is out of circulation forever.

......and in answer to the second part of your question. Yes personal plates can be bought and sold like a commodity (with some restrictions). Those advertised in mags are just that - a commodity. You can keep them, pass them on to your relatives, move them from car to car or sell them to another owner. They can be 'retained' on a certificate or put directly onto a vehicle.

 

[andysat]

I found it a lot easier in the days of S T V W etc...

 

[GrimleyFiendish]

The first number plate that had the designated year of registration was A at the end. First used just in Middlesex in 1963 as a trial. When rolled out nationwide in 1964 it was a B which was on my second car, reg DPE 58B, a Triumph Herald. Loved that car! :wink:

Back in the 90's I had a 1963 Series IIA Landrover on an A plate

 

[McKoval]

You Brits are masters of simplicity :evil:
reminds me of what terry pratchett wrote about your former money system ( I think he wrote it in 'good omens')