1975 - 1981 Alaska Official Road Map
1976 Alaska and Western Canada Road Map distributed by Alaskan Scenic Postcards of Anchorage, Alaska
1976 Alaska license plates.
There appears to be some variation
in the lightness of the background.
In addition, the plate on the left has much
redder embossed numbers and letters, while the one on the right's numbers and
letters are more maroon.
Dirk Starck, ALPCA#6438,
of Eagle River, Alaska notes that the plate on the right is probably from
a later run done during 1980/81.
The later serial number would also indicate
that. The variation is seen in non passenger plates, also.
Another apparent difference in the
plates is where the tan mountains are in relation to the top.
You can see the
differences in where the embossed Alaska actually touches the screened tan portion
of the plate.
The distance from the mountain top on the left to the edge of
the plate is also much greater in the lower one than the top one.
The left type of sample plate was available to collectors
in 1976 and 1977.
It is one of two types of sample plates put out by the
Alaska DMV on the 1976 base.
The other uses the AAA*000 format shown on
the right, and is more difficult to find.
During 1976, vehicles with 1975 tabs were still on the road
until May 31, 1976.
Alaska allowed a grace period for renewals of expiration
stickers, and as might be expected, many took advantage of the waiting period.
There were five different types of bases in use updated with 75 expiration stickers.
These 1973 plates were made and never issued.
There was some
objection that the stars on the flag were simply debossed dots instead of stars.
Sample versions of the 70, 71/72 and 74 Alaska license plates.
76 Alaska truck plates are red on reflective white, as are
a number of other Alaska plates issued for non passenger vehicles.
Commercial
or heavy trucks received the 76 sticker. The plates have a thin lined debossed
76 in the upper right corner.
The addition of the 76 ATC fee sticker would indicate
this would have been used on a heavy truck.
The 75 Alaska heavy truck plate
used into 1976 shown on the right was for use on the Oil Pipeline/Haul Road.
Trucks using the Oil Pipeline route were charge a hefty tax and prefixed MA through MD.
This silver on red 76 Alaska tab is a
commercial truck weight fee sticker issued by the Alaska Transportation Commission.
It was used on truck plates only, and the presence of a weight fee sticker in
addition to a regular renewal sticker has been since 1976 the only way to distinguish
a commercial truck from a non-commercial or light truck plate.
Thanks to Pete
Madsen, ALPCA 126, Olalla, Washington for the above information.
These 2" x 2" 75 stickers from the Alaska Transportation
Commission were used in conjunction with the larger peel and stick decal shown
below.
Like all 75 issued plates they were good well into 1976.
The larger sticker
is 4" x 6" and was used from 1970 to 1975 as a cab decal issued to
semi-tractors to show payment of extra fees.
It was the 'license plate' that
was updated annually with the small year stickers.
With the 1976 stickers, Alaska
went to putting them directly on the truck plates.
Alaska light truck plates updated with 75 expiration stickers
were good through March of 1976
1976 truck plates were the same as the heavy
truck or commercial plates without the sticker.
76 Commercial Trailer plate on the left.
On the right, is a
75 Alaska commercial plate which could have been used into early 1976.
1976 apportioned truck and trailer plates.
1976 Exempt Plate. The Alaska 1976 Exempt YYA,
etc. plates were used by
non-profit organizations such as church buses, and
the like. Golden
Valley Electric, a public agency, had a batch of these
plates issued in error and the DMV
issued X Gov't plates to them. City and Borough vehicles
all carry X-
plates which began in 1962. Thanks to Earl
Jenson of Polson, Montana, ALPCA 355 for the above information.
The 1975
Alaska exempt plate would have been allowed on the road until May 31, 1976.
1976 Alaska Dealer plate.
1976 Alaska Transporter plate.
1976 style Alaska U.S. Senator plate with 77 embossed date.
1976 Alaska U.S. House of Representatives plate.
1976 Alaska Governor's plates
Actually, a number of these plates
were issued as knock-offs of the original plate.
The one shown of the left above is an example
of the knock off issued around 1983.
These can be identified by the debossed
sticker wells.
The one on the right does not have a sticker well, but has an unpainted back.
Below is run down of how many Governor plates were made, and
under what circumstances:
50 REAL ONES WITH PAINTED BACKS AND JUST #1
50 REAL ONES W/O PAINTED BACKS BUT WITH AAA 001 CONFIG.
100 SAMPLES WITH 78 79 80 SAMPLE STICKERS IN LEFT UPPER
BOX
3,500 KNOCKOFFS MADE BY FORMER ALPCAN, NICK COLOMBO(NO
STICKER AND
UNPAINTED BACKS)
Thanks to Fred Agree, ALPCA
2951, for the above information.
1976 and 1975 Alaska Legislator plates of
the type that would have been seen on vehicles in 1976.
1976 Legislator's plates with District listed on right.
These bases were actually issued in 1979 and 1981.
The actual 1976 base does not have
prefix letters, just a single or double digit numbers.
The AAA prefix was
used in 1977. AAB in 1978 and so forth.
Thanks to Dirk
Starck, ALPCA #6438, Eagle River, Alaska for the above information.
1976 Alaska Occasional use plate.
According to Dirk Starck, Eagle River, Alaska,
ALPCA 6438,"The Occasional Use plate replaced the Off Highway plates.
These were issued to vehicles that were used primarily off road, such as mining
equipment."
Alaska State Troopers plate for 1976
1976 Alaska Consular Corps plate
Historic vehicle plate used from 1976 to present. Notice
the 76 debossing in the upper right hand corner of this one.
1976 Alaska Farm plate
1976 Alaska For Hire license plate.
The ALPCA archive mentions the 1975 ZA prefixed plates as
being used on taxis, while the ZB is an Alaska For Hire plate.
I am not sure
there is much difference other than perhaps a broader use of the ZB plates to
include other types of vehicles besides a taxi.
These were still allowed on
the road until May 31, 1976.
1976 Alaska Handicapped plate
1976 Alaska Government plate.
This type of plate was issued to state owned vehicles
in Alaska from 62 to date. They are not stickered.
1976 Alaska Fish & Wildlife department plate.
1976 Alaska vanity plates
1976 Alaska amateur radio plate.
1976 and 1975 issued Alaska privately owned, non-commercial
trailer plates.
The plates were the same size as a motorcycle plate.
1976 Alaska large sized non commercial trailer plate
issued in 1976.
This one also has a 77 expiration sticker.
1976 Alaska motorcycle dealer plate.
1976 Alaska Motorcyle plate on the left. On the right is the
style of motorcycle plate issued from 1973 to 1975, and which could be seen
on the road well into 1976.
1976 Alaska temporary registration card.
Alaska snowmobile registration large sticker used during
1976 in lieu of a plate.
Expiration stickers were placed in the upper right
corner of the larger sticker.
Alaska does not issue a metal plate for snowmobiles
or ATV's like some other states.
Instead a large sticker is issued and
then revalidated every two years with a smaller sticker shown below. The
current fee is $5.00 per year.
Most people did not bother to register these
types of vehicles as it was only needed on state owned land.
This changed
in 1998 when the state made registration mandatory. (Information from Dirk
Starck, Eagle River, Alaska.)
1976 tab used on pro rated semi trailer plates.
December 31, 1976 expiring Nome, Alaska snowmobile license sticker.
For more on Alaska license plates, you can follow these links:
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