Like mentioned above, buy from a "vintage license plate" vendor. There's three or four "professional sellers" in California that attend every swap meet that sell nothing but vintage plates. They will offer you a gauranty that the plates you purchase can be re-registered to your car by the California DMV. NOT ALL OLD PLATES WILL QUALIFY FOR THE DMV "YOM" PROGRAM. You will pay a little more but it's well worth it to save you the time and DMV hassel. Check them out at Pomona, Long Beach, and the March Meet at Famosa. Just My Opinion.