Help with this old municipal license plate please

Gee, similar official license plates were used in Massachusetts in 2013 and today. I'm not sure if the blue is the same shade. Scroll down the following page to see at least 2 other MA official license plates that have a M## - ###.

Scroll down about 1/4 of the way to the 9th row of plates. The one in the middle "Current (July 2013) Mass.... municipal official plate" M81-591. Also about 1/3th of the way down to the 15th row: M70-591.
http://www.plateshack.com/y2k/Massachusetts2/mass2y2k.html

An official MA plate from 1970 in the same blue and white with 6 figures starting with M##-### is at the bottom of this page:
http://www.plateshack.com/massachusetts/massachusetts11.html

Here is a page on the chronological history of Massachusetts plates. Don't know if it has any help for you.
http://www.massrmv.com/rmv/history/

--- Susan

 

I wonder whether the shape - those rounded upper corners - and the lack of a surrounding white line are the important features, rather than the number itself.

 

Book, is there any serial number on the front or back of plate? It seems one may be able to date a plate from its serial number.

--- Susan

 

Hmmm.... hand painted, I missed that as well as the unusual cut shape. Looking at MA plates of all kinds, none of them are cut in the same shape as this one. I wonder if it is the real deal. The overall condition of worn and grimy certainly looks to be old, but that paint certainly doesn't look faded. The only mention about official plates on that state of MA Registry of Motor Vehicle page about the history of plates is in the chronological listing near the bottom of the page with:

"1955 Consular Corps plates issued for dignitaries and other government officials."

Here are plates back to 1903. MA was the 1st state to issue plates. Note none are obviously hand painted as yours or cut like yours.
http://www.w-a.com/maplate.htm

--- Susan

 

Book, I was wondering about that, too. Six digits, especially for municipals would be pretty recent. Meaning yours had to be very much abused.
Can you make out what it says upper right? A date?
It might well be just someone was playing with a make believe plate.

 

I've never seen an "official" license plate that wasn't punched out. It looks like this was on a snow plow or some heavy duty vehicle that got a lot of road salt and muck. Maybe they lost a plate and made one themselves. Naughty people.

 

Sure looks home-made, hand painted to me.....along with the unevenness of the metal shape as well........maybe for someone's private race track.....or something of the like.....

 

I think this is a home made plate and possibly made for a toy or soap box type car.

 

That orange metal projection looks like it was for a DPW type vehicle.