As a child I was obsessed with license plates. That sounds weird, right? What I really meant is that I found out of state plates, (any other state besides Massachusetts), fascinating.

They were a different color, they had different number and letter sequences, different state mottos, what's not to love?

My father once told me in rather lay speak, "Ya know, prisoners make them (license plates) in jail." He was right.

BUT, DO MASSACHUSETTS INMATES STILL MAKE LICENSE PLATES?

I mean with the technology they have today, they couldn't possibly?

YES, THEY DO.

Massachusetts license plates are made in prison. If you ever wondered about Massachusetts auto license plates, you may be interested to know that they are all made by prisoners at the MCI-Cedar Junction prison in Walpole, where they have been making them since 1920. -thecantoncitizen.com

As of 2007, is was reported that the State of Massachusetts issues about one million license plates a year, and prisoners have been doing it by hand since the 1920's, according to boston.com.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OLD GREEN PLATES?

Remember these guys?

Well, you can't have one of these on your car anymore! For awhile, as long as your green plate was legible, it would pass inspection; however, since 1993, Massachusetts started issuing the red plates we see today.

The green plate was a single issued plate, the red plates are issued in pairs and both MUST be on your vehicle, (one in the rear and one on the front).