From the Archives: Personalized License Plates
From the Archives: Personalized License Plates
Mitzl Rottman and Rossan Yanez of the MVD’s Special Plates Section display some recently sold personalized license plates in 1979.
It’s been almost 50 years since ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division began offering personalized license plates, giving drivers an opportunity to express themselves on their cars with just a few characters.
The program began in 1975 and gained traction in the following years, increasing 80% from 1977 to 1978, according to an ADOT employee newsletter from the time. By 1980, more than 24,000 personalized plates had been issued.
The popularity of personalized plates has continued to grow in Arizona, with the Motor Vehicle Division issuing more than 138,000 personalized plates in 2023. Drivers interested in ordering their own personalized license plates can do so at azmvdnow.gov.
Pictured below is Peggy Wallace, who was MVD’s Special Plates Section supervisor, with her own personalized plate “NUGGET” in 1978 and with two plates requested by Arizona residents, “WUV YOU” and “GOPHER,” in 1980.
CREDIT: All photos taken by Dick Shingledecker for the ADOT monthly employee publication “Newsbeat.”