A whole bunch of cars in a 1953 Albuquerque traffic jam. The convertible at front center and the parked car at near right both have 1953 Bernalillo County passenger plates. The view is looking east on New York Avenue—now Lomas Blvd.—from the vicinity of Second Street. Harvey Caplin photo, courtesy Rick Holben.
A 1950 Chevrolet Styleline sedan with a 1953 license plate from San Juan County. In the trunk we see what appears to be a box of picnic supplies along with a 6-pack of pop. Perhaps the unidentified woman in the photo is preparing to set up for a picnic in the mountains. Scroll down to the last photo below to see another view of this same car. NMplates collection.
In 1953, Bud Myers, owner of Myers Motor Company, turned over a new 1953 Buick to the Lovington High School driver education program. The car is seen here on W. Jefferson Street in front of the high school, along with a dozen or so students in the program. In the right background is the old Central School. On the car’s front bumper is 1953 Dealer plate number 5D156. Standing, left to right, Estel Hudson (?), Eddie Mack Robinson, Unknown, Milt Chrisman, Jack Glover, Allan Cunningham, Jack Carsrud, Arnold Perez, Bill Maxwell. In the driver’s seat, Ruth Ann Maddin, in passenger seat unknown. Standing in right foreground, Carroll Howard, driver’s ed teacher. Courtesy David L. Minton.
A tractor-trailer rig of unknown make is seen here putting the squeeze on a much smaller circa 1948 International truck in 1953. The 1953 truck plate on the International is from Hidalgo County, and is what is sometimes referred to as a Type 2 plate for that year. New Mexico's truck plates from 1930 through 1953 had the word TRUCK embossed vertically at the right side, but a relatively small number of Truck plates in both 1952 and 1953 omitted the word, and therefore were identified only by their being the reverse colors of passenger car plates. Please see our Varieties page for photographs of the two types for both years. NMplates collection.
