Good Roads License Plates

GOOD ROADS LICENSE PLATES

Those were the days.................................

Charles Henry Davis - "MR. 25'

Not the definitive history of the "Good Roads" Program, but a short synopsis:

From Conrad Hughson by way of Bill Dickerson - February 28, 2009:

Over the years, I have handled many, many of the Davis "Good Roads" # 25 license plates.

Charles Henry Davis lived in the House of 7 Chimney's in Bass River, Cape Cod Massachusetts. His own personal car plate in Massachusetts was # 25. This is why he picked that number to expound upon, when he used # 25 plates from all over the world as a gimmick to draw attention to his Good Roads program.

The mid 1920's are the oldest I have seen, 1940 is the newest. His house was taken by the government when a main road was built across the Cape . Mr. Davis passed away in 1952. His collection covered the walls of the carriage house - all the plates went in various directions, at different times assumedly when the property was taken.

The 1st group I ever saw was sold at an auction at the Larz Anderson Antique Auto Museum near Boston in the 1960's. Dr. Winston C. Norcross, ALPCA # 3, had a large quantity of these plates in his collection and I have reason to believe there were other groups of these plates.

Some of the license plates are 100% authentic, while others were "made up" for Mr. Davis to satisfy his ego over the years. An example might be a mid to late 1920's Prince Edward Island # 25. PEI never started with a number that low in that era, so it never existed "on the road" except for the plates made for Mr. Davis.

Massachusetts # 25 was kept in the Davis family until his widow passed away in a New York City hospital in about 1969. She wanted the plate to go to her doctor in Massachusetts. Governor John Volpe refused to allow the transfer, so upon her death, # 25 moved to the Volpe "low number holdings'. The good doctor gave me several sets of the # 25 plates in the 1960's, as he kept her car at his home.

The best 100% originals I have are the pair of 1935 Massachusetts plates # 25, one with the locking strip at the top. This set was, of course, his own personal set for use on his own car at the time.

ASIDE: John Volpe was Governor of Massachusetts, a cabinet officer in the Nixon administration and Ambassador to Italy. The Volpe family registered #25 on a Rolls Royce, so the number has graced some fine automobiles in its life.


1924

1924 Arizona (DY)		1924 Wyoming (GI)

1925

1925 Arizona (DY)

1926

1926 Alaska (GI)	1926 Arizona (DY)	1926 Pennsylvania (GI)


1926 Quebec (GI)

1927

1927 Arizona (GI)		1927 Texas (GI)



1927 British Columbia (GI)	1927 Nova Scotia (GI)	1927 N.W.T. (MP)	1927 P.E.I. (GI)


1927 American Samoa (GI)	1927 Guam (GI)	1927 Virgin Islands (DP)


1928

1928 Idaho (GI)



1928 Guam (GG)

1929

1929 Nevada (GI)	1929 North Dakota (GI)	1929 Utah (AA)	1929 Wyoming (GI)


1929 Yukon (GI)



1929 Virgin Islands (GG)
1930

1930 Arizona (PD)	1930 Colorado (GI)	1930 Idaho (GI)	1930 Louisiana(GI)


1930 Maine (GI)	1930 Minnesota (NR)	1930 Missouri (LN)	1930 Nevada (GM)


1930 Utah (GI)		1930 Washington (IS)	1930 Wyoming (IS)





1930 British Columbia (CG)	1930 Manitoba (GI)	1930 New Brunswick (GI)	1930 Ontario (GI)


1930 P.E.I. (GI)	1930 Quebec (GI)	1930 Saskatchewan (GI)	1930 Yukon (GI)


1931 Guam (DP)	1931 Virgin Islands (DP)

1931

1931 Arizona (DY)	1931 Iowa (GI)	1931 Maryland (GI)	1931 Nevada (GI)



1931 New Mexico (GI)	1931 North Carolina (GI)	1931 Tennessee (GI)	1931 Texas (GI)



1931 Washington (IS)	1931 West Virginia(IS)


1931 Alberta (GI)	1931 British Columbia (CG)	1931 New Brunswick (GI)	1931 Nova Scotia (GI)


1931 Ontario		1931 P.E.I. (GI)



1931 Panama. (GI)	1931/32 Puerto Rico (IS)

1932

1932 Nebraska (IS)	1932 South Carolina (IS)	1932 Texas (IS)



	1932 Washington (IS)	1932 West Virginia (IS)


1932 Newfoundland (IS)			1932/33 Puerto Rico (IS)
1933


1933 Kansas (IS)	1933 Kentucky (IS)	1933 Minnesota (NR)	1933 Missouri (IS)


1933 Nevada (IS)


1933 Tennessee (IS)	1933 Texas (IS)	1933 Utah (IS)	1933 Washington (IS)



1933 Alberta	1933 British Columbia (CG)	1933 New Brunswick(GI)	1933 Newfoundland (GI)


1933 Sask (GI)			1933 Yukon (IS)

1934

1934 Alaska (GI)	1934 Nebraska (GI)	1934 Nevada (GI)	1934 Texas (GI)



1934 British Columbia (CG)	1934 Manitoba (GI)	1934 New Brunswick (GI)	1934 Newfoundland (GI)


1934 Nova Scotia (GI)	1934 P.E.I. (GI)	1934 Quebec (GI)


1935

1935 Hawaii (GI)	1935 Michigan (GI)	1935 Minnesota (NR)	1935 Nebraska (GI)



1935 Nevada (GI)	1935 North Dakota (GI)	1935 Texas (GI)


1935 Alberta (GI)	1935 British Columbia (CG)	1935 New Brunswick (GI)	1935 Ontario


1935 Nova Scotia (GI)	1935 Saskatchewan (GI)

1936

1936 Montana (SH)	1936 Minnesota (NR)	1936 Nebraska (IS)	1936 New Mexico (IS



1936 Washington (IS)	1936 Wyoming (IS)


1936 British Columbia (CG)	1936 Nova Scotia (GI)	1936 Ontario	1936 Quebec (GI)


1936 Saskatchewan (GI)

1937

1937 South Carolina (GI)



1937 British Columbia (CG)		1937 New Brunswick )GI)	1937 Saskkatchewan )GI)

1938

1938 British Columbia (CA)	1938 British Columbia (GI)	1938 P.E.I. (GI)

1939

1939 Alaska (GI)	1939 Minnesota(NR)	1939 South Carolina(GI)	1939 Washington (IS)


1939 New Brunswick (GI)

1940

1940 Washington (IS)


1940 British Columbia (CG)	1940 New Brunswick (GI)	1940 Saskatchewan (GI)

MISCELLANEOUS PLATES


U. S. Department of Agriculture (GG)	U. S. Department of Agriculture (GI)	U. S. Department of Agriculture (GI)	. Massachusetts Auto Register (BD)


1964 Massachusetts(BD)	1964 British Columbia	1936 New Brunswick Motorcycle (GI)	1969 Truk Island (DP)


Argentina ? (DP)	1958 Arizona (PD)