1914 tail lamp bracket

[Art Ebeling]

My 14 Runabout has a taillamp bracket with vertical mounting holes but the vendors show them with horizontal holes. Which is correct? Thanks, Art

[George House]

This is correct….and don’t go using hex nuts. They’re square

[Art Ebeling]

Thank you George. Art

[Original Smith]

What you have there is 100% correct! Don't pay attention to those stupid vendors!

[George House]

Thank you for the confirmation Larry, but we Need our many vendors. I have a question however. You’ll see in my photo a Neverout accessory bracket was inserted between the Ford taillamp bracket and the Ford taillamp. Does anyone know the license plate procedure 112 years ago when a new Ford was purchased ? Was there a municipal ‘grace period’ in which the new owner was expected to go to ye olde Autozone and procure a license plate bracket ? We’ve seen 1915 Ford tail light/license plate brackets but what was expected the previous year ? ….I’ll now donate the balance of my time to Wayne Shelton..

[Original Smith]

I have Neverout license plate brackets on both my '13s. My roadster is exactly like yours.

[George House]

***btt*** to hopefully have my question answered

[DanTreace]

***btt*** to hopefully have my question answered

Early years not all states required front or rear registration or licensing plates. Ford in 1914 didn’t offer plate brackets. For the front plate an owner would affix with either straps to the axle, or fasten somewhere. Same with rear plate, affix to body or where the owner wanted. Early years some states required the rear numerals to be illuminated, so brackets, aftermarket and later factory put the tag near the tail lamp to be illuminated.

[George House]

Most interesting. Thanks for the history lesson Dan.

[OilyBill]

During the very earliest of licensing, they gave you a piece of paper, and then YOU HAD TO MAKE YOUR OWN LICENSE PLATE, usually out of leather or thin sheet metal, and paint your registration number, or use address numbers from the local hardware store to attach to it, in accordance to your registration number. This was not that much of a chore, considering that your registration number could be "17" or "23", or maybe even "248" depending on how early your car was. I recall someone was reproducing these early leather license plates a few years ago. I have no idea if they are still selling them or not. States quickly decided to cash in on selling state produced license plates, made by convicts, who may as well have been doing something useful, making license plates, instead of being idlers and layabouts, standing around all day. Those were big profit items for the states, since they cost next to nothing to produce, and quickly displaced the early, hand-made owner license plates.

I will still frequently mention to blind dates when they arrive: "HEY! What a COINCIDENCE! I MADE your license plate!". Sometimes they know where license plates come from, and catch on instantly, and other times, they don't. Oh, well!