This is a personal website detailing the history of Wisconsin license plates, with a blog I update somewhat consistently.
This website was created in October 2018 as part of my computer science class in 10th grade, and I've been working on it since. However, this website wasn't shared with plate collectors until September 2020, and it wasn't on Google until February 2021. This website was originally hosted on code.org from its creation until February 2021, when I got the custom domain for my webiste and hosted it on a free web host. I currently host my website on ifastnet.com for $5 a month.
The idea of this site came from Andrew Turnbull, who also created his own website from HTML and CSS, and had a detailed page on Wisconsin license plates. My original dream was just to have a website on license plate information and history, though over time my license plate interest narrowed from all license plates to mostly midwestern license plates, then just Wisconsin license plates.
I develop this website from HTML, CSS, and a little bit of JavaScript. I have no plans to change the website over to other programming languages, as I feel the static HTML works well for the purpose of this site, and any interactive/dynamic features I'd need can be easily added in with a little JavaScript.
I create this website to share information on license plates to anyone who wants to learn more about them, whether they're fellow collectors/historians that want a quick reference, or someone just wanting to know the current sticker color. I do not have any plans on ever monetizing this site, both because I'd rather keep this site simple and ad-free than make 5 dollars a year on it, and because of licensing restrictions with some of the images I use.
I'm Gideon Nicksic, ALPCA #12423 and DLPCC #211. I'm a hobbyist license plate historian and license plate collector from the driftless region of Wisconsin. I've been an avid license plate enthusiast since May 2012, and have been actively collecting license plates since September 23, 2015.
My first documentation of plates was in 2016 after one of my classmates suggested I write a book on license plates for a class project. Later on, in October 2018 created this website as part of a computer science class, and have been updating this site since. Currently, I'm an editor for the ALPCA archives, edit multiple license-plate related Wikipedia pages (including keeping the Wisconsin one updated every once in a while), and share a lot of information for Eric Tanner's site.
All images credited as "GN," "Gideon," or "Gideon Nicksic" are images taken by me. You may use any images credited to me, as long as you credit me in some way. This can include crediting me by my name, crediting me by "wisconsinlicenseplates.net", leaving a link for sources, etc.
All information on this website, such as serial ranges, descriptions of types, etc. are all public domain information.
Unless otherwise noted, images credited to others and images without a credit are used with permission from their creators, and they all retain the copyright for their images.
Throughout this website, I use a large number of terms that aren't known as often. Down below is a reference for the terms I use on this website and what they mean.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Base | Used to describe specific series of plates issued at one point; an example of a plate "base" would be the current black-on-white plates used on cars, which I would refer to as "2000 base" plates since they were issued beginning in 2000. |
| Debossed | A made-up term that license plate collectors use to describe features that are stamped downward, resulting in a recessed area rather than a raised area. Basically an inverse of embossing, hence the name "debossed." |
| Groove | A word used to refer to the lines around the plate from the early 1950s to the late 80s; "partial groove" specifically describes a partial line at the top of the plate, while "full groove" would refer to a full line at the top. "No groove" refers to plates that use a "stepped" border instead, while "groove" indicates that the border on the plate is a groove. |
| Passenger | Refers to plates used on most normal cars on the road. "Non-passenger" is a related term that refers to plates not used on normal passenger cars, such as those used on trucks, buses, trailers, and so on. |
| Sheeting | Refers to reflective sheeting put on plates to make them more visible at night. "3M sheeting" refers to 3M brand sheeting, while "Avery sheeting" refers to Avery-Dennison brand sheeting. |
| Tab Slots | Small slots on a plate that are used to insert a tab on the plate. |
