Insight Into Long Island Motor Parkway License Plates
Noel Gish (President, Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum Board of Trustees): "Regarding the ALPCA meeting: How many Long Island Motor Parkway license plates were issued to the public? Does anyone have a “guesstimate” of the total? Who has the license plate number 1? Does it exist in a collection somewhere ? What would be the current cost to acquire one of the originals LIMP plates today if they are even available? Thanks for your help."
Noel, the definitive article on Long Island Motor Parkway license plates is the article The License Plates of the Vanderbilt Long Island Motor Parkway by my favorite co-author Al Velocci published in the Spring 2000 issue of the Long Island Forum. Al provides many of the answers to your questions.
.Owners of the #1 Long Island Motor Parkway License Plate
1913: J.P. Morgan
1914-1919: Alfred C. Bedford (Partner of John D. Rockefeller at Standard Oil Company)
1920-1921: U.S. Rubber Company
1922-1938: Joseph P. Grier (Stockbroker and partner in a firm which later became Smith Barney)
According to the Motor Parkway Porcelain Census on Porcelainplates.net, there are at least four #1 plates still existing in private collections.
Number of Motor Parkway License Plates Manufactured
From 1912 to 1937, a total of 7,341 Long Island Motor Parkway license plates were manufactured including; 6,691 regular plates and 650 golf club plates. The quantity per year reflected the increasing and then decreasing use of the Motor Parkway. This is the breakdown by year:
......... Regular Color.........Golf Club.........Regular......Golf Club
...........Combo...............Color Combo....Quantity.......Quantity
1912....White & Red..................................25
1913....White/Blue....................................50
1914....Red/White.....................................75
1915.....Black/Yellow.................................60
1916.....Yellow/Black.................................62
1917.....Black/White..................................65
1918.....White/Blue....................................64
1919.....Brown/White.................................62
1920.....Yellow/Black.................................82
1921.....Black/Green..................................82
1922.....Unknown.....................................123
1923.....White/Blue..................................120
1924.....Red/White...................................159
1925.....Blue/Gray....................................206
1926.....Green/White................................267
1927.....Orange/Blue................................267
1928.....Red/White...................................729
1928.....Yellow/Green.....................................................200
1929.....Black/White..............................1,250
1929.....Blue/White........................................................250
1930.....Red/White...................................850
1930.....Black/Yellow.....................................................100
1931.....Red/White...................................762
1931.....Blue/White..........................................................50
1932.....White/Black.................................570
1932.....White/Green........................................................50
1933.....White/Orange...............................361
1934.....Blue/White.........................................................250
1935.....Black /Red....................................75
1937.....Blue/White....................................75
Total......................................................6,691.................650
Grand Total............................................7,341
Value of Motor Parkway License Plates
As noted in the VanderbiltCupRaces.com Premium Vanderbilia Chart, the Motor Parkway license plates are highly collectible. If you can find a collector willing to sell one, the plates are purchased between $1,000 to $3,000 depending on the year and condition. The most valuable plates are the #100s issued to William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.
Links to related posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com
Archives: Motor Parkway License Plates
Comments
So fascinating….....Having lived on Motor Parkway from 1947-1970…..and my father’s family
having had a summer bungalow on Parkway Blvd since 1923….I feel a kinship to the road.
I remember the night the Vanderbilt mansion [as we referred to it] burned, and how sad we were that a piece of history was gone forever. Our private beach at the end of Heilman Avenue (for the property owners of Lake Ronkonkoma Heights) was adjacent to the Vanderbilt’s property (Petit Trianon).
Just watched the Video “Motor Parkway 1908-1938” and enjoyed the journey back tremendously.
Thanks for the info on the license plates…..it’s my next adventure to try and find one.!
Grace Schembri
I also lived on Motor Parkway, the last block before the mansion it was renamed Lake Drive in the early 30’s, My house was about 200 feet from the mansion and on rainy days I spent many hours in the mansion. We had natural gas heat thanks to the pipe line that was installed when the restaurant opened, all the homes had access to the gas line under the motor parkway. Heilman had a small real estate office sitting all by itself on Rosedale avenue and Marion Drive on a litle island at the fork in the road. I don’t get out there much anymore, but just as well, I didn’t care for the many changes.