Connecticut now issues a vast assortment of special-issue passenger license plates. Some of these are sponsored by organizations, others support special interests, such as environmental programs.
Special thanks to fellow ALPCAn Erik Perotti for providing some of the pictures on this page.
2004 ‘Home of the Amistad’
2005 Caring for Pets. These started in the -PET series, followed by ‘-DOG’, ‘-CAT’, ‘-TLC’, ‘-WAG’, etc. This particular plate was one of the first 4 or 5 plates of this type made, numbering started at 100- or 101-PET.
2004 Caring for Pets Camp Trailer. Camp Trailer plates in the optional issue styles are not very common.
Caring for Pets blank.
Central Connecticut State University sample
2004 Fidelco Guide Dog
Fund Adoption/Choose Life
2003 Greenways
Health Professionals sample. I don’t think this type was ever issued.
2003 Keep Kids Safe.
These were issued in the “KID”, “TOT”, “ZZZ” and “ZZY”- series.
2001 Keep Kids Safe.
These ZZZ plates could have been named “Keep Kids Sleepy”
2005 Keep Kids Safe Commercial Vanity.
2005 Korean War Veteran; ca. 1960s number remade in this type.
1995 Marine Corps League
This plate is in the standard ‘organizational plate’ numbering format: 1ABC2
2006 Olympic Spirit, passenger car version.
Olympic Spirit Camp Trailer. It seems they wildly overestimated the popularity of these plates, expecting that people would even be registering them to Camp Trailers. Granted, they probably made the entire set including all of the types at once.
Olympic Spirit Camper.
2003 Olympic Spirit Combination. The -‘WIN’ series was used for all types.
Olympic Spirit Commercial.
2004 Operation Lifesaver plate, promoting highway-rail crossing safety. This particular plate is a vanity plate honoring the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.
2003 Police Commissioner
The first optional plate made available in Connecticut. Proceeds go to environmental causes related to Long Island Sound. General-issue plates began with “LIS-100”, then moving to a 100-LAA format.
This is one of a few early plates made with letters and numbers stamped with taller Maine-style dies. These also do not have a recess for the decal in the upper left corner.
This one has an old number transferred to this base.
The standard numbering format is 123-“L”AA as seen above.
[EJP Collection]
Another old number transferred to this base. This number was originally issued in the mid-1960s.
Preserve the Sound Camper. These started in the -LY series.
1995 Preserve the Sound Combination. These started in the -LZ series.
1998 Preserve the Sound Combination. After the -LZ series was completed these skipped to -LX (-LY was used for Camper).
Another Preserve the Sound Combination. The lettering for the ‘COMB’ legend is once again slightly different.
2004 Preserve the Sound Combination. These continued to work backwards through the letter series. At some point the ‘COMB’ was changed to embossed rather than screened, so the same blanks as passenger plates could be used. In the -LS series the ‘COMB’ was moved to before the number instead of stuck in the middle as was done for -LT.
Preserve the Sound Commercial. These started in the -LC series.
Preserving Our Past plate, supporting the CT Trust for Historic Preservation. This particular one is a Combination plate.
Protect Wildflowers blank.
According to a postcard circulated by this plate’s sponsor when it was introduced (The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut), the plate features the state flower- the mountain laurel [Kalmia latifolia].
Purple heart recipient.
Late 1970s number made on this style plate.
Special Olympics World Games plate, to support the Games held in Connecticut in 1995. A general “Special Olympics” plate is now issued instead.
2001 UCONN, supporting the University of Connecticut.
‘United We Stand’ supporting the Rewards for Justice fund. The first run of standard plates was in the 100-‘USA’ series.
[EJP Collection]
2005 ‘United We Stand’ in the initial standard issue -‘USA’ series.
2006 ‘United We Stand’. After the -USA series was used up, these plates went to the generic special-issue plate format.