| Tags with manufacturing errors show up from time
to time with defects ranging from something as simple as a plate being
stamped off center, to more serious errors, such as the wrong dies being
used. Examples of both extremes are illustrated here. |
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This is actually a 1918 “thick” variety plate which had its date stamped
with a “13” die instead of an “18” die. |
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Most, if not all, known surviving 1944 Motorcycle plates
were made using two different styles of dies in the “44” part of the
date. Since this was the only year that two number “4” dies were needed
for cycle plates it may be that the prison plate shop simply didn’t have
two of the same style on hand. |
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This 1944 Truck plate has an extra bolt slot punched in the upper right
corner. Courtesy Mark Gutierrez. |
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| The serial number was stamped off center, such
that it overlaps the first few letter of the “The Land of Enchantment”
slogan at the top. |
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The numeral “8” is upside down on this 1965
Motorcycle plate. Courtesy Robby Crowder.
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| On this prorate backing plate trailer sticker, New
Mexico is spelled wrong as “New Mexice.” |
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| 1971 Passenger plate with a double-struck,
off-center zia. The spurious zia did not pick up any of the red paint
when it was rolled onto the raised characters, suggesting that it may
have been hammered flat before that paint was applied. |
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| On this 1973 prorate backing plate Power sticker
the word “prorate” is misspelled as “PRARATE.” |
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| The “8” is upside down on this motorcycle plate. |
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| The name of Chaves County is misspelled on this
bicentennial booster plate. |
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| The first letter of this 1991 motorcycle vanity
plate is an upside down “W” instead of the “M” that it should be. |
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| New Mexico abandoned the "M" prefix on
Motorcycle plates in about 1981, but later reinstated it for just one
year for plates with the year 2000 expiration. On an unknown number of
these 2000 plates, instead of an "M" an upside down "W" was used. |
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| The sticker on this permanent registration RV
plate suffers from a computer error which caused both the first letter
of PRM, and the first digit of the plate serial number, to be enlarged
and pulled into the position where the two-digit year would appear on an
annual registration sticker. |
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