# Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1938

Vehicle registration plates of the United States by year :
| Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1937 | Events of 1938 | Vehicle registration plates of the United States for 1939 |
Each of the 48 states of the United States of America plus several of its territories and the District of Columbia issued individual passenger license plates for 1938.

## Passenger baseplates

Passenger  Car  Plates :
| Region | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
| Alabama | red on blue with embossed 38 | none | 123–456$_A$ | | |
| Alaska | | | | | |
| Arizona | | | | | |
| Arkansas | Embossed gray lettering, designs and border on red background, "ARKANSAS" embossed in winged signage below registration; "38" embossed inside state shape at left. | none | 123–456 | | |
| California | black embossed lettering on yellow base | 1A 23 45 | unknown | |
| Canal Zone | Embossed white lettering on red background | none | 12345 | | |
| Colorado | White embossed lettering and rims on teal base. | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | | County coded registration (1 or 10). |
| Connecticut | | | | | |
| Delaware | | | | | |
| District of Columbia | | | | | |
| Florida | Embossed yellow lettering and border on black background, "19 FLORIDA 38" embossed at top. | none | 12A3456 | Coded by county and weight class | |
| Georgia | Orange embossed lettering and rims on blue base. "1938" embossed at bottom and "GEORGIA" at top. | none | 123-456A | unknown | |
| Guam | | | | | |
| Hawai'i | Embossed yellow lettering on black base; "HAWAII 1938" at bottom. | none | 12-345 | | |
| Idaho | Embossed white letters and rims on maroon base. "IDAHO - 1938" at bottom. | none | 1-2345, 12-3456 | unknown | |
| Illinois | Embossed white lettering on green base; "ILLINOIS 1938" at bottom. | none | 123 456 123 4567 | unknown | |
| Indiana | Maroon lettering on cream base | none | 123 456 | | |
| Iowa | Black embossed lettering and rims on white base. | none | 1–2345 12-3456 | | County-coded registration (1 or 12) |
| Kansas | Embossed white numbers on black plate with border line; "KAN. '38" embossed in white block letters centered at bottom | none | 1-12345 10-1234 100-123 | Coded by county (1, 10 or 100) | |
| Kentucky | | | | | |
| Louisiana | | | | | |
| Maine | | | | | |
| Maryland | | | | | |
| Massachusetts | Embossed white lettering on red base. "MASS 38" at bottom. | none | 123–456 | | |
| Michigan | | none | 123456 | | |
| Minnesota | | none | A123-456 | | |
| Mississippi | Dark blue with embossed white lettering and rim. "MISS." stamped at top center of plate, "38" at top right. Passenger plates stamped with "A" at top left. | none | 123–456 | | |
| Missouri | Embossed black lettering and rims on white base. "19 MISSOURI 38" at bottom. | none | 123–456 | unknown | |
| Montana | Embossed black numbers on orange plate with state-shaped border; embossed black buffalo skull used as separator; "MONTANA–38" embossed in black block letters below numbers | none | 1-12345 1/0-1234 | unknown | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 1/0) |
| Nebraska | Silver embossed block lettering and rims on black base. "NEBRASKA – 38" embossed at bottom. | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | unknown | County-coded registration (1 or 10) |
| Nevada | Embossed white lettering and rims on blue base. "NEVADA 1938" at bottom. | none | 12-345 | unknown | |
| New Hampshire | Embossed white lettering and rims on dark green base. "NH 38-9" at top. | | | | |
| New Jersey | Embossed white lettering on heavy black steel base. "N.J. 38" embossed at top. | none | A123456 | | County coded registration (A). |
| New Mexico | Embossed black lettering and Zia design on yellow base plate. | none | 1–2345 12-3456 | unknown | County-coded registration (1 or 12) |
| New York | Yellow-orange embossed lettering on black base | "NEW YORK WORLD"S FAIR 1939" embossed across bottom of plate. | A-12-34 1A23-45 | | County-coded registration. |
| North Carolina | Yellow base with embossed black lettering. "NORTH CAROLINA 38" embossed at top. | none | 123–456 | unknown | |
| North Dakota | | | | | |
| Ohio | Black embossed lettering, rims, and graphics on white base[16] | 150 Anniv·N·W·Terr·[16] | A·1234 AB·123 1234·A 123·AB A·123·B | | County-coded registration. Commemorated the 150th anniversary of the creation of the Northwest Territory, from which the state of Ohio was formed. |
| Oklahoma | Embossed black lettering on yellow base. "OKLAHOMA – 1938" at top. | none | 123–456 | unknown | |
| Oregon | Embossed black lettering and rims on silver-painted base. "OREGON – 1938" at bottom. | none | 123–456 | unknown | |
| Pennsylvania | Blue embossed lettering on yellow base with blue state outline | none | 1234A 12A34 | unknown | |
| Rhode Island | Embossed white letters on black base; "R.I. 1938" embossed at bottom. | none | A1234 | unknown | |
| South Carolina | Embossed black numbers on golden yellow plate; "SOUTH CAROLINA 38" embossed in black block letters at bottom. | none | A-12-345 | unknown | Letter in registration corresponds to weight class. |
| South Dakota | Embossed white letters and rims on blue base. "S. DAK. 1938" at bottom. | none | 1–2345 12-3456 | unknown | |
| Tennessee | Embossed blue lettering and rims on state-shaped plate. "TENN. 38" at bottom center. | none | 1–2345 1A-2345 | unknown | Coded by weight. |
| Texas | Black embossed lettering, star separator at center, and rims on white base. | none | 123–456 A12-345 | unknown | |
| Utah | Embossed maroon lettering and rims on white base, "UTAH – 1938" at bottom. | none | 12-345 | 50-001 to approximately 174-000 | |
| Vermont | Embossed blue lettering on white base. "19 VERMONT 38" embossed at bottom. | none | 12 435 | | |
| Virginia | Embossed black numbers on white plate; "VIRGINIA – 1938" embossed in black block letters at bottom. | none | 123–456 | 1 to approximately 388-000 | |
| Washington | Embossed green numbers on white plate with border line; "1938 WASHINGTON" embossed in green block letters at top | none | A-12345 AB-1234 | County-coded (A or AB) | |
| West Virginia | Embossed yellow numbers on black plate; "W. VA.-37-38" embossed in yellow block letters centered at top. | none | | | |
| Wisconsin | Embossed black numbers on silver plate with border line; "WISCONSIN 1938" embossed in black block letters at bottom | none | 123–456 | 1 to approximately 706-000 | |
| Wyoming | Embossed yellow numbers and Bucking Horse and Rider on navy blue plate with border line; "1938 WYOMING" embossed in yellow block letters at top | none | 1–2345 12-3456 | | |

## Non-passenger plates

Non-passenger  Plates :
| Region | Type | Design & Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
| Wisconsin | Dealer | Embossed black serial on silver plate with border line; "WIS DEALER 38" at bottom | 1234A | Dealer number and plate number | Number is the dealer number, letter is the plate number for that dealer |
| Wisconsin | Farm | Embossed black serial on orange plate with border line; "37 FARM TR'K 38" at top, vertical "WIS" at left | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 49-000 | |
| Wisconsin | Motorcycle | Embossed black serial on silver plate with border line; "WIS 38" at bottom | 1234 | 1 to approximately 3000 | |
| Wisconsin | Municipal | Embossed silver serial on black plate with border line; "WISCONSIN 1938" at bottom, embossed hollow star at right | 1234 | 1 to approximately 8300 | Identifiable with a hollow star |
| Wisconsin | Truck | Embossed black serial on orange plate with border line; "37 WIS TRUCK 38" at bottom | 12-345 A | Coded by weight class | Weight classes are A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, and N |