These were the ACT's contribution to the Australian Bicentenary. This is the first time that screen printing techniques were used on ACT plates. A stylised version of the Federal Parliment House (completed in 1988) and the "ACT" are both screened in black. From around YRY 530 a hologram was used in the reflectorised background.
Plates issued were from YRS-000 to YSP-999.
Plates issued were from YRS-000 to YSP-999.
This is the first change in manufacturer since 1968. These plates were made by Northern Territory Prison Industries at the Alice Springs jail. They are relatively easy to identify due to the distinctive thin character dies used.
Plates issued were from YSQ-000 to YSS-999.
Plates issued were from YSQ-000 to YSS-999.
This is only a slight difference between these and the YSQ. The position of the slogan has been altered slightly by moving it 25mm to the left. This change is consistant for the remainder of the NTPI issued prefixes.
Plates issued were from YST-000 to YWL-999
excluding YTA-000 to YTA-999,
YWB-000 to YWB-999 & YWE-000 to YWE-999.
Plates issued were from YST-000 to YWL-999
excluding YTA-000 to YTA-999,
YWB-000 to YWB-999 & YWE-000 to YWE-999.
NTPI suffered from an inconsistency in the colour of the blue paint used to roll the plates. Here are two examples of the two extremes of blue shades that were issued.
Plates issued from YSY-000 to YSY-999 and
YTM-000 to YTM-999 are the most noteworthy for the colour variations.
Plates issued from YSY-000 to YSY-999 and
YTM-000 to YTM-999 are the most noteworthy for the colour variations.
These are a bit of a mystery. They were issued in sequence and appear to be a batch of plates made to win back the plate manufacturing tender for Altona Industries.
Plates issued were from YWB-000 to YWB-999.
Plates issued were from YWB-000 to YWB-999.
Altona Engineering begins making ACT plates again. These are basically the same as the previous plates made (YMU-467 to YRR-999).
Plates issued were from YWM-000 to YZN-999.
Plates issued were from YWM-000 to YZN-999.
These errors are very interesting in that there appears not to be a common thread. Sometimes the error appears on one plate of the pair, somtimes on both and also there are pairs without the error at all! My theory is that there was a manufacturing problem which neccesitated the remaking of some plates, not in a logical sequence and not always a pair. It was these remakes that were all made incorrectly with the X and the Y transposed.
Plates issued were from YXT-900 to YXT-999 incomplete.
Plates issued were from YXT-900 to YXT-999 incomplete.
