Alaska

Alaska 1966 passenger issue. Yes, I'm aware that 1966 did not fall between 1969 and present, but I made an exception for this plate. The 1966 Alaska Totem Pole plate remains one of the most distinctive and just plain cool looking plates of the modern era of plate design. This baseplate, used in 1966 and 67, celebrated the Centennial of the Alaska Purchase and was the only plate in the period from 1948 through 1975 not to carry the Alaskan flag.

Alaska 1969 passenger issue (1968 base). Back into the proper time period for this plate. This baseplate was issued at the end of 1967 and used through the end of 1969. It marked the return of the state flag to the plate design and was the first and only Alaska issue to use the slogan "The Great Land".

Alaska 1969 passenger issue (1968 base). The 1968/69 base was the first series to exceed 99,999 plates, so later issues were released in an A1234 format. Again, these plates were issued and valid through the end of 1969.

Alaska 1971 passenger issue (1970 base). This baseplate was issued from the end of 1969 through 1970, and remained valid with stickers along with several other base variations through 1975. This plate returned to the "North to the Future" slogan introduced on the 1966 Totem base, and added "-U.S.A." to the state name for the first time.

Alaska 1975 passenger issue (1971 base). At the end of 1970, the baseplate was modified to add a debossed "71" to the top left corner of the plate. These were valid without stickers through the end of 1971, and were used along with the 1970 baseplates through the end of 1975 with stickers. The series once again turned over to an A1234 format, with the "D" series appearing before the end of 1971.

Alaska 1973 passenger issue (1972 base). At the end of 1971, the baseplate was again modified to carry a debossed "72" in place of the "70". These were valid without stickers through the end of 1972, and again could be used through 1975 along with the other bases of the time. This plate was in the "K" series, with the series getting at least into the "L"s before the format was changed in 1974.

Alaska 1973 passenger issue (prototype). In 1973, a new plate design was slated to appear, using an ABC-123 format. Nine thousand pairs of these new baseplates were produced, but were rejected by then-governor Bill Egan due to their design. The objection was to the use of dots in place of stars in the state flag. These plates were therefore never issued, although there were enough made that they are fairly common in collector's circles.

Alaska 1975 passenger issue (1974 base). After the 1973 prototype debacle, newly redesigned plates were released in 1974. These plates were a minor variation on the 70-72 base, with an embossed "74" in the top right, a sticker box on the top left, and the removal of the "-U.S.A." in the state name. The flag has all stars intact, and the serial was switched to an AA 123 format. These plates were valid without stickers through 1974 and with "75" stickers to the end of 1975.

Alaska 1975 passenger issue. This variation of the 1974 base was introduced for 1975, with the embossed year changed to "75". These plates were valid without stickers through the end of 1975, at which point all 1970-75 plates were replaced with a new issue. The serial format continued through the "D" series, with this being one of the higher numbered plates in the series. This plate was most likely a leftover and never issued.

Alaska 1977 passenger issue. This popular graphic issue featuring a Kodiak bear was introduced at the end of 1975 and carried a screened "76" flag at the top right, celebrating the U.S. Bicentennial. These plates were replaced at the end of 1982. They were the first Alaska design to use an ABC-123 series, which remains in use today.

Alaska 1981 passenger issue. Continuation of the 1976 baseplate. Staggered registration was introduced in Alaska in late 1978, with a small number of plates getting "79" stickers and most skipping to various months in 1980. Plates carried both month and year stickers from this point forward, so the bicentennial flag was covered by a year sticker on a good number of these plates from 1979 on.

Alaska 1982 passenger issue. This baseplate was introduced in 1981 and replaced the 1976 bear issue by the end of 1982. This plate returned to the more familiar blue on yellow color scheme with the state flag featured. The slogan was changed to "The Last Frontier" for this issue. These plates started at number BAA-100.

Alaska 1983 passenger issue. Some "Last Frontier" plates were produced with a slightly different background, marked by larger stars in the state flag. This was not a permanent change, however, as the smaller stars appear regularly on later plates. I've seen these plates in the BLx and BMx series, not sure if there's a clean break between the types.

Alaska 1986 passenger issue. Plates from the at least the BTJ series through the CBY series were produced by Polyvend in Arkansas, resulting in this odd die variation on these plates. Plates before and after this series were produced by Irwin-Hodson in Oregon and used conventional Alaska dies.

Alaska 1994 passenger issue. Continuation of 1982 baseplate, seven years after the previous plate the state had almost used up another letter series. This plate features the more conventional Alaska dies used for most of this series, and also uses the blanks with the smaller stars on the state flag.

Alaska 2000 passenger issue. This new baseplate issue was first issued in late 1997, starting at the DJY serial block. It commemorates the Centennial of the 1898 Alaska Gold Rush, featuring prospectors beating a trail into the Alaskan mountains in search of riches. This plate's introduction has helped speed along the progression through plate numbers for the state, as motorists traded in existing Last Frontier plates for these plates. The state had planned to revert back to the previous "Last Frontier" base at the end of 1998, however the series was extended at that time due to the popularity of the plate, and it ended up being issued through late 2004. This plate is one of the earlier issues on the base and includes an odd "00" sticker of a type I've never seen before. Not sure what's up with that.

Alaska 2000 passenger issue. Another example of the Gold Rush plate, this one features the more traditional 2000 expiration sticker, as compared to the plate above.

Alaska 2003 passenger issue. Continuation of the Gold Rush base, the letter sequence passed into the "E" series at some point in late 2001, I believe. This plate is from an odd series, as the "EAQ" series of plates started appearing in mid-2002 as the first Alaska passenger series to ever contain the letter "Q." This appears to have been unintentional, possibly a manufacturing error, since the letter has not appeared again since (no "EBQ" or "ECQ," etc.).

Alaska 2005 passenger issue. Trival base variation alert! In the late period of the Gold Rush plate in 2003, the top sticker wells were eliminated from the plate. This change occurred between the EMP and EMR series of plates, and was carried over on the next base as well.

Alaska 2006 passenger issue. The Gold Rush plate was finally discontinued in late 2004, at the end of the ERT series of plates. Starting with ERU, the state made good on plans to revert back to the previous "Last Frontier" base, sort of. Plates in the ERU and part of the ERV series were stamped using identical blanks to the previous base, aside from the sticker wells at the top corners being removed. This reversion to the old style only lasted a short while, however, as the plate style was changed again by the mid ERV series (by at least ERV-554, see next).

Alaska 2006 passenger issue. This new all-embossed variation of the older plate was released in the mid ERV series, presumably as a money-saving measure over the older, screened version. Of particular note with these plates is the embossed flag separator, which includes small, shallowly-embossed stars on the state flag that end up appearing as dots. As noted above, the "dot stars" were supposedly the reason behind a similar plate being rejected in 1973, so it's interesting to see them appear again.

Alaska 2007 passenger issue. Apparently, the whole idea of the stars appearing as dots wasn't flying so well this time around either, so plates starting in the ESL series were changed, making the stars slightly larger and more deeply embossed. The result? They look like bigger dots.

Alaska 2007 passenger issue. This is the third revision of the plate. Determined to solve the dot/star issue, the stars were made about three times larger on this issue so they would be recognizable when embossed and painted. Seems to have worked. This variation started at the break between the EUB and EUC series.

Alaska 2009 passenger issue. Starting in January, 2008, Alaska began issuing this commemorative issue as their new general issue plate. The plate features the Alaska 50 logo to the left and the slogan "Celebrating Statehood 1959-2009" at the bottom. The background contains a mountains/sunset motif. This issue began with the FGF series and was issued through the end of early 2010 after the FUW series.

Alaska 2011 passenger issue. Continuation of the 50th anniversary base, there was another error in plate ordering or manufacture resulting in the production of the FPQ and FRQ series of plates, which would normally be expected to be skipped, similar to the appearance of EAQ on the Gold Rush base. Q was once again skipped in the FSx series and beyond.

Alaska 2012 passenger issue. Starting in early 2010, Alaska discontinued issuance of the 50 Years of Statehood base, reverting at that time to the previous all-embossed Last Frontier design. The series reportedly jumped from FUW directly to GAA at this time, although Last Frontier bases have been confirmed in the FUZ series as well. This "new" series of these plates is otherwise unchanged from the third revision of the embossed plate (circa EUC through FGE series) that immediately proceeded the 50 Years graphic.

Alaska 2015 passenger issue. Another rogue Q appeared starting in 2013, this time on the all-embossed base. The state issued GPQ and the entire GQx series before starting to omit the letter again, skipping GRQ and above. These embossed plates jumped from GZZ directly to HAA near the end of 2015, leaving the Jxx series for the new bear graphic (see next.)

Alaska 2016 passenger issue (no-fee alternate). In 2015, Alaska began issuing a no-cost alternate passenger plate based on the 1976 Kodiak bear plate. The new plate carries over the standing bear graphic in the center, adding a sunset-over-mountains motif in the background. This plate was an immediate hit and has outpaced issuance of the embossed Last Frontier base since release. It also was voted the ALPCA Plate of the Year for 2015. These plates started in the JAA series.

Alaska 2021 passenger issue (no-fee alternate). in 2019, the Alaska bear issue began appearing using Irwin-Hodson's die set found on Oregon and Hawaii issues rather than the standard thinner-stroke Alaska set. This change occurred somewhere between the JPS and JPW series. This die set has also appeared on some other optional and vanity bases, not sure if it's slated to eventually become the standard or not.

Alaska 2021 passenger issue. Yeah, looks like it's slated to eventually become the standard. Standard Last Frontier plates also appeared using the revised dies in 2019, in the late KEx series. The plates remain otherwise unchanged.

Alaska 2021 passenger issue (no-fee alternate). Alaska introduced a third standard issue choice in 2019, the Alaska Artistic License, sponsored by the Alaska State Council on the Arts. This issue features a mountain background with a night sky/northern lights theme. Initial plates in the LAx and LBx series were found to be difficult to read due to the dark background, so this was revised in the later part of the LBx series. This LBQ plate is an original dark-background plate. The entire LBQ series was apparently unissued due to being near the last of the dark background plates and containing an errant Q once again.

Alaska 2021 passenger issue (no-fee alternate). In 2020 the Artistic License plate was revised to a lighter background for legibility reasons, using 3M's HD sheeting.

Alaska 2024/25 passenger issues. In 2023, Alaska switched to revised sheeting and a narrower die set on all three passenger types. This die set closely resembles the current North Carolina die set. Plates are produced using a hybrid print-to-emboss method where serials are printed flat on the background and then embossed after the fact. The Last Frontier plate has been more heavily revised to include flat state name and captions as part of the change as well.

Plate Needed!! The Artistic License plate is also being produced using the new dies/sheeting and the print-to-emboss method.

Additional Alaska information provided by: Earl Jenson, Matt Bockhorst, Royce Williams

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Last Modified 12/6/2024 (added 2025 Last Frontier, 2024 Bear).

	Alaska 1966 passenger issue. Yes, I'm aware that 1966 did not fall between 1969 and present, but I made an exception for this plate. The 1966 Alaska Totem Pole plate remains one of the most distinctive and just plain cool looking plates of the modern era of plate design. This baseplate, used in 1966 and 67, celebrated the Centennial of the Alaska Purchase and was the only plate in the period from 1948 through 1975 not to carry the Alaskan flag.
	Alaska 1969 passenger issue (1968 base). Back into the proper time period for this plate. This baseplate was issued at the end of 1967 and used through the end of 1969. It marked the return of the state flag to the plate design and was the first and only Alaska issue to use the slogan "The Great Land".
	Alaska 1969 passenger issue (1968 base). The 1968/69 base was the first series to exceed 99,999 plates, so later issues were released in an A1234 format. Again, these plates were issued and valid through the end of 1969.
	Alaska 1971 passenger issue (1970 base). This baseplate was issued from the end of 1969 through 1970, and remained valid with stickers along with several other base variations through 1975. This plate returned to the "North to the Future" slogan introduced on the 1966 Totem base, and added "-U.S.A." to the state name for the first time.
	Alaska 1975 passenger issue (1971 base). At the end of 1970, the baseplate was modified to add a debossed "71" to the top left corner of the plate. These were valid without stickers through the end of 1971, and were used along with the 1970 baseplates through the end of 1975 with stickers. The series once again turned over to an A1234 format, with the "D" series appearing before the end of 1971.
	Alaska 1973 passenger issue (1972 base). At the end of 1971, the baseplate was again modified to carry a debossed "72" in place of the "70". These were valid without stickers through the end of 1972, and again could be used through 1975 along with the other bases of the time. This plate was in the "K" series, with the series getting at least into the "L"s before the format was changed in 1974.
	Alaska 1973 passenger issue (prototype). In 1973, a new plate design was slated to appear, using an ABC-123 format. Nine thousand pairs of these new baseplates were produced, but were rejected by then-governor Bill Egan due to their design. The objection was to the use of dots in place of stars in the state flag. These plates were therefore never issued, although there were enough made that they are fairly common in collector's circles.
	Alaska 1975 passenger issue (1974 base). After the 1973 prototype debacle, newly redesigned plates were released in 1974. These plates were a minor variation on the 70-72 base, with an embossed "74" in the top right, a sticker box on the top left, and the removal of the "-U.S.A." in the state name. The flag has all stars intact, and the serial was switched to an AA 123 format. These plates were valid without stickers through 1974 and with "75" stickers to the end of 1975.
	Alaska 1975 passenger issue. This variation of the 1974 base was introduced for 1975, with the embossed year changed to "75". These plates were valid without stickers through the end of 1975, at which point all 1970-75 plates were replaced with a new issue. The serial format continued through the "D" series, with this being one of the higher numbered plates in the series. This plate was most likely a leftover and never issued.
	Alaska 1977 passenger issue. This popular graphic issue featuring a Kodiak bear was introduced at the end of 1975 and carried a screened "76" flag at the top right, celebrating the U.S. Bicentennial. These plates were replaced at the end of 1982. They were the first Alaska design to use an ABC-123 series, which remains in use today.
	Alaska 1981 passenger issue. Continuation of the 1976 baseplate. Staggered registration was introduced in Alaska in late 1978, with a small number of plates getting "79" stickers and most skipping to various months in 1980. Plates carried both month and year stickers from this point forward, so the bicentennial flag was covered by a year sticker on a good number of these plates from 1979 on.
	Alaska 1982 passenger issue. This baseplate was introduced in 1981 and replaced the 1976 bear issue by the end of 1982. This plate returned to the more familiar blue on yellow color scheme with the state flag featured. The slogan was changed to "The Last Frontier" for this issue. These plates started at number BAA-100.
	Alaska 1983 passenger issue. Some "Last Frontier" plates were produced with a slightly different background, marked by larger stars in the state flag. This was not a permanent change, however, as the smaller stars appear regularly on later plates. I've seen these plates in the BLx and BMx series, not sure if there's a clean break between the types.
	Alaska 1986 passenger issue. Plates from the at least the BTJ series through the CBY series were produced by Polyvend in Arkansas, resulting in this odd die variation on these plates. Plates before and after this series were produced by Irwin-Hodson in Oregon and used conventional Alaska dies.
	Alaska 1994 passenger issue. Continuation of 1982 baseplate, seven years after the previous plate the state had almost used up another letter series. This plate features the more conventional Alaska dies used for most of this series, and also uses the blanks with the smaller stars on the state flag.
	Alaska 2000 passenger issue. This new baseplate issue was first issued in late 1997, starting at the DJY serial block. It commemorates the Centennial of the 1898 Alaska Gold Rush, featuring prospectors beating a trail into the Alaskan mountains in search of riches. This plate's introduction has helped speed along the progression through plate numbers for the state, as motorists traded in existing Last Frontier plates for these plates. The state had planned to revert back to the previous "Last Frontier" base at the end of 1998, however the series was extended at that time due to the popularity of the plate, and it ended up being issued through late 2004. This plate is one of the earlier issues on the base and includes an odd "00" sticker of a type I've never seen before. Not sure what's up with that.
	Alaska 2000 passenger issue. Another example of the Gold Rush plate, this one features the more traditional 2000 expiration sticker, as compared to the plate above.
	Alaska 2003 passenger issue. Continuation of the Gold Rush base, the letter sequence passed into the "E" series at some point in late 2001, I believe. This plate is from an odd series, as the "EAQ" series of plates started appearing in mid-2002 as the first Alaska passenger series to ever contain the letter "Q." This appears to have been unintentional, possibly a manufacturing error, since the letter has not appeared again since (no "EBQ" or "ECQ," etc.).
	Alaska 2005 passenger issue. Trival base variation alert! In the late period of the Gold Rush plate in 2003, the top sticker wells were eliminated from the plate. This change occurred between the EMP and EMR series of plates, and was carried over on the next base as well.
	Alaska 2006 passenger issue. The Gold Rush plate was finally discontinued in late 2004, at the end of the ERT series of plates. Starting with ERU, the state made good on plans to revert back to the previous "Last Frontier" base, sort of. Plates in the ERU and part of the ERV series were stamped using identical blanks to the previous base, aside from the sticker wells at the top corners being removed. This reversion to the old style only lasted a short while, however, as the plate style was changed again by the mid ERV series (by at least ERV-554, see next).
	Alaska 2006 passenger issue. This new all-embossed variation of the older plate was released in the mid ERV series, presumably as a money-saving measure over the older, screened version. Of particular note with these plates is the embossed flag separator, which includes small, shallowly-embossed stars on the state flag that end up appearing as dots. As noted above, the "dot stars" were supposedly the reason behind a similar plate being rejected in 1973, so it's interesting to see them appear again.
	Alaska 2007 passenger issue. Apparently, the whole idea of the stars appearing as dots wasn't flying so well this time around either, so plates starting in the ESL series were changed, making the stars slightly larger and more deeply embossed. The result? They look like bigger dots.
	Alaska 2007 passenger issue. This is the third revision of the plate. Determined to solve the dot/star issue, the stars were made about three times larger on this issue so they would be recognizable when embossed and painted. Seems to have worked. This variation started at the break between the EUB and EUC series.
	Alaska 2009 passenger issue. Starting in January, 2008, Alaska began issuing this commemorative issue as their new general issue plate. The plate features the Alaska 50 logo to the left and the slogan "Celebrating Statehood 1959-2009" at the bottom. The background contains a mountains/sunset motif. This issue began with the FGF series and was issued through the end of early 2010 after the FUW series.
	Alaska 2011 passenger issue. Continuation of the 50th anniversary base, there was another error in plate ordering or manufacture resulting in the production of the FPQ and FRQ series of plates, which would normally be expected to be skipped, similar to the appearance of EAQ on the Gold Rush base. Q was once again skipped in the FSx series and beyond.
	Alaska 2012 passenger issue. Starting in early 2010, Alaska discontinued issuance of the 50 Years of Statehood base, reverting at that time to the previous all-embossed Last Frontier design. The series reportedly jumped from FUW directly to GAA at this time, although Last Frontier bases have been confirmed in the FUZ series as well. This "new" series of these plates is otherwise unchanged from the third revision of the embossed plate (circa EUC through FGE series) that immediately proceeded the 50 Years graphic.
	Alaska 2015 passenger issue. Another rogue Q appeared starting in 2013, this time on the all-embossed base. The state issued GPQ and the entire GQx series before starting to omit the letter again, skipping GRQ and above. These embossed plates jumped from GZZ directly to HAA near the end of 2015, leaving the Jxx series for the new bear graphic (see next.)
	Alaska 2016 passenger issue (no-fee alternate). In 2015, Alaska began issuing a no-cost alternate passenger plate based on the 1976 Kodiak bear plate. The new plate carries over the standing bear graphic in the center, adding a sunset-over-mountains motif in the background. This plate was an immediate hit and has outpaced issuance of the embossed Last Frontier base since release. It also was voted the ALPCA Plate of the Year for 2015. These plates started in the JAA series.
	Alaska 2021 passenger issue (no-fee alternate). in 2019, the Alaska bear issue began appearing using Irwin-Hodson's die set found on Oregon and Hawaii issues rather than the standard thinner-stroke Alaska set. This change occurred somewhere between the JPS and JPW series. This die set has also appeared on some other optional and vanity bases, not sure if it's slated to eventually become the standard or not.
	Alaska 2021 passenger issue. Yeah, looks like it's slated to eventually become the standard. Standard Last Frontier plates also appeared using the revised dies in 2019, in the late KEx series. The plates remain otherwise unchanged.
	Alaska 2021 passenger issue (no-fee alternate). Alaska introduced a third standard issue choice in 2019, the Alaska Artistic License, sponsored by the Alaska State Council on the Arts. This issue features a mountain background with a night sky/northern lights theme. Initial plates in the LAx and LBx series were found to be difficult to read due to the dark background, so this was revised in the later part of the LBx series. This LBQ plate is an original dark-background plate. The entire LBQ series was apparently unissued due to being near the last of the dark background plates and containing an errant Q once again.
	Alaska 2021 passenger issue (no-fee alternate). In 2020 the Artistic License plate was revised to a lighter background for legibility reasons, using 3M's HD sheeting.
	Alaska 2024/25 passenger issues. In 2023, Alaska switched to revised sheeting and a narrower die set on all three passenger types. This die set closely resembles the current North Carolina die set. Plates are produced using a hybrid print-to-emboss method where serials are printed flat on the background and then embossed after the fact. The Last Frontier plate has been more heavily revised to include flat state name and captions as part of the change as well.

Plate Needed!!	The Artistic License plate is also being produced using the new dies/sheeting and the print-to-emboss method.