Best place for old style number plates?

[trigger]

I need to buy a pair of number plates for this Civic, I'm after the pressed metal type but with a pre-2001 typeface, There's a number of people selling the these show plates on ebay but I can't tell if the typeface is correct, anybody on here got any recommendations which don't cost mega money?.

[greengartside]

http://www.platesforcars.co.uk/designer.php#numberplates - Where it says 'font', scroll down to 'UK Old Legal'. That's the nearest you'll find I think, seeing as dealerplates.co.uk has gone.

[Richard]

Didn't the dealerplates guy get everything he owned confiscated under "proceeds of crime" laws?

[Wilko220]

http://www.pl8s.co.uk/ for every conceivable type. Not sure what their prices are like though.

[trigger]

I knew about Framptons but I think they are pretty pricey, I recall them being something like £70 for a pair 70's raised rivet type ones.

[Angrydicky]

They do look really good though, much better than any pressed metal ones on the market. None I've seen have the right font and they all stand out a mile away as being non-original. I bet your Civic would have had the raised digit type ones from new.

[trigger]

The remains of the original plate is still on the front, it was the riveted type but the letters have been removed sadly, the trouble is I can't really afford or justify spending that amount of money just on a pair of number plates hence why I'm looking for the pressed metal ones, funny enough my Cortina also has pressed metal ones that was fitted from new.

 

[jonny69]

I've used these guys a couple of times because they use the correct font. I had some cheapies off eBay and they looked so turd I sent them back.

 

http://www.vintage-plates.co.uk

 

The only issue is they've changed the site quite a lot, so I hope they're the same lot.

 

So here's a handy list of the fonts from this place: http://www.tippersvintageplates.co.uk

 

 

You're probably looking for the font right at the bottom (VSO 891D) which is the correct font for all post-'63 black plates. The next one up (MDP 808K) is an incorrect font which appeared about 5-6 years ago. I don't really know where it came from because it's not even the same as the new fonts on yellow and white plates from 51-onwards, but it looks completely gash. You can pick it out quite easily because of the squared-off figures and the 8 and 3 are slightly wider at the top than at the bottom, almost like there was some mistake when the dies were made. I don't know where these new dies came from, but pretty much all the cheap pressed black and silver plates you see today have been made using them and you have to look around carefully to find the correct ones.

[Lacquer Peel]

I agree with that 'wide pressed metal' font not being quite right, but it looks okay to me.

[trigger]

Cheers Jonny, sadly that first link only does the black and silver pre 73 plates, I'm looking for the 1970's style yellow and white type.

 

That Tippers place seem to do the rivet plates for £45 for the pair, I don't know if that inculdes delivery but that's not too badly priced.

 

[overrun]

If only pressed Serck font was available, anywhere.

 

The closest I have had is 'Euro Style' from a1showplates.com a couple oc years back. Anyone know where I can get that style? Even acrylic will do.

[worldofceri]

[vulgalour]

Since we have some number plate nerds here, can someone clarify for me when they stopped using rivet-digit plates in white and yellow?  They're my favourite plates and what I plan to fit on the Princess, but not if it's going to be an appalling anachronism.

[Richard]

I think they used them until around 1979ish, ACS599T, my 1979 Sunbeam, had them but I can't remember any of my V plate cars or newer having them.

[Micrashed]

The wifes T plate (1979) Fiesta had the Plastic Rivet plates.

 

Mind you, so does her W plate 2008 Citroen C8....

[TagoraSX]

What is the correct font/plate for 1981?

[eddyramrod]

Since we have some number plate nerds here, can someone clarify for me when they stopped using rivet-digit plates in white and yellow?  They're my favourite plates and what I plan to fit on the Princess, but not if it's going to be an appalling anachronism.

I've got a W-suffix plate off a scrapped mk5 Cortina with the raised plastic letters, if that's any help.  My own mk5, also W-reg, also had the same style, so they were definitely still being fitted in 1981.

[Vin]

1981 font. I would say it is 'Charles Wright 47mm' font...The post 2001 font is officially 'Charles Wright 41mm'.

[retrogeezer]

Which one on the link is this? It just says show plate number 1,2,3, etc

[vulgalour]

cheers for the info  rivet-digits are go and that makes me very happy indeed.  Gonna have to change the plates on the Golf too, it has horrible modern EU blue bar types on it that look totally out of place.

[trigger]

I might cough up for a set of these Tippers plates, the trouble is the £45 + postage price is making me choke a bit!.

 

http://www.tippersvintageplates.co.uk/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/tippers?opendocument&part=3

 

[Wilko220]

They look worth it to me though. Beautiful!

 

In answer to earlier questions, I'm pretty sure there is a fair bit of crossover as different garages changed over their equipment. My 1976 P-reg car has original metal SERCK plates, for example, but as we've heard the raised plastic plates of an earlier vintage were still in use a few years later than that.

[trigger]

I think it just depends on what the dealer supplied, My Cortina has pressed plates from new yet I've seen others with Rivet plates, My newer BMW had rivet plates, and the original plates on my Civic was also rivets, oh and my 1972 Kadett was rivet plates.

[garycox]

My '81 Mini had those plates originally, the front one's been changed for a horrible modern one though.

 

1981 Austin Morris Mini HL by GaryCox, on Flickr

[trigger]

I ordered those Tippers rivet plates this morning, £51.50 delivered which is a lot of money but Framptons wanted £64.95 so it's still cheaper than it could have been.

[worldofceri]

Which one on the link is this? It just says show plate number 1,2,3, etc

"Euro Style"

[overrun]

If only pressed Serck font was available, anywhere.

 

The closest I have had is 'Euro Style' from a1showplates.com a couple oc years back. Anyone know where I can get that style? Even acrylic will do.

 

 

 

 

Is that for me, mate?

 

If so, it's the same as what I have had in the past. Mentioned above. They're good, but they're not right.

[worldofceri]

Yeah, I had a look, so I thought I'd post up the result.  Never sure how representative the online fonts are of what you'll receive, but they certainly seem the closest to Serck that's readily available.

[overrun]

 

These are the ones I had made up. Something seems 'off' to me.

Maybe it was the choice of the border...

 

As you say though, it seems to be the closest available.

[Wilko220]

Is this any closer?

http://www.pl8s.co.uk/ReflectiveDuoPlate.html