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Switzerland

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Aargau

1987 onwards plate pair.

Before 1973, both front and rear plates were in the usual European dimensions. Rear plates were either one line with the shields on both ends of the plate, or two lines with the shields and the canton code in large letters above the serial number. Front plates had characters in the same size, but no shields. In 1973, rear plates became American size, with the shields and the canton code in smaller letters above the serial. Front plates were only half the height with the whole number in smaller size. In 1987, one line rear plates became optionally available, with the canton code as big as the numbers. Front plates stayed in the small size.

	Appenzell Innerrhoden
	Temporary plate pair for 1986. Z suffix = duties not paid. These are unused plates, which were left over at the end of 1986. Had they been issued, they would have received a sticker showing the month of expiration in the red field above "86".

	Appenzell Ausserrhoden
	Temporary rear plate for 1986. Used plate with month sticker.

	Bern
	1973 onwards rear plate.

	Basel Land
	1987 onwards rear plate.

	Basel Stadt
	1973 onwards rear plate.

	Fribourg
	1987 onwards rear plate.

	Genève
	1973 onwards rear plate.

	Glarus
	Temporary rear plate expiring March 2003.

	Graubünden
	1987 onwards rear plate.

	Jura
	Temporary plate pair for 1986. Z suffix = duties not paid. Unused plates without month sticker.

	Luzern
	1987 onwards rear plate.

	Neuchâtel
	Temporary rear plate expiring November 1995.

	Nidwalden
	Temporary rear plate for 1983. Used plate with month sticker. While permanent rear plates were American size from 1973 on, temporary plates were sometimes still in the long European format.

	Obwalden
	Temporary rear plate for 1984. Z suffix = duties not paid. Unused plate without month sticker. While permanent rear plates were American size from 1973 on, temporary plates were sometimes still in the long European format.

	St. Gallen
	1973 onwards rear plate.

	Schaffhausen
	1987 onwards rear plate.

	Solothurn
	1987 onwards rear plate.

	Schwyz
	1973 onwards rear plate.

	Thurgau
	1973 onwards rear plate.

	Ticino
	1973 onwards rear plate.

	Uri
	Temporary rear plate for 1978. Z suffix = duties not paid. The plate has no month sticker, but appears to be used.

	Vaud
	1973 onwards rear plate.

	Valais
	1987 onwards plate pair.

	Zug
	Pre-1973 rear plate.

	Zürich
	1973 onwards plate pair.
	Pre-1973 rear plate. Note that the top line is full size in that series.
	Temporary plate pair expiring October 2013. Until 2013, temporary plates were in a separate and overlapping series from permanent registrations. Thus there were never more than five digits necessary, leaving enough space for the expiration sticker. Since 2013, there is only one series. Some cantons don't have free five digit blocks for temporary plates, so that they have to use six digits with a smaller font to make the additional room for the expiration sticker.

	Federal Series
	1973 onwards public authorities rear plate, P = Public Authorities (post, telephone, railways), first digit 4 = Telephones and Telegraphs. P plates became obsolete in the early 2000s and were replaced with normal cantonal issues.
	1973 onwards public authorities rear plate, P = Public Authorities (post, telephone, railways), first digit 6 = Postal service. P plates became obsolete in the early 2000s and were replaced with normal cantonal issues.
	1987 onwards military rear plate. Military plates are white on grey instead of black on white.

	Special type plates
	1973 onwards fire brigade or road maintenance vehicle rear plate
	1973 onwards abnormal load vehicle plate pair.
	1973 agricultural vehicle plate. Only front plates exist for this type.
	1973 onwards rear trade plate. U suffix = trade plate.

	Motorcycle plates
	Large Motorcyle plates. Left picture: Genève motorcycle plate. Right picture: Public authorities motorcycle plate, first letter 9 = railways.
	Small motorcycle plates. These are colored yellow. Left picture: Ticino temporary small motorcycle plate for 1991. Right picture: Public authorities motorcycle plate, first letter 7 = postal services.

	Moped plates
	Moped plates from various cantons. Until about 1980, these plates were as small as bicycle plates, but colored yellow. The canton code and the year were shown in varying colors above a minute serial number stamped onto the bottom of the plate. About 1980 it was felt that also moving mopeds should be identifyable, so canton after canton adopted a larger plate format, showing the serial number in an easily legible size. In the later 1980s, many if not all cantons started to use year stickers instead of issuing new plates anually.
	Ticino agricultural motorized hand cart plate. Ticino issued green colored moped format plates for these vehicles from 1977 to about 1990. Blue plates were issued for such vehicles if not used agriculturally. As far as I know no other canton had these plates.

	Bicycle plates
	Complete set of bicycle plates from each canton. These plates are from the late 1970s and early 1980s. At that time they were issued annually. The canton code and the year were shown in varying colors above a minute serial number stamped onto the bottom of the plate. At bottom right is an additional plate from SG made in a different style: All characters are debossed and also the bottom part is red.
	Left picture: 1990 to 2011 style bicycle plate for 1991. 502 is a code for the insurance company, below which is 01 for Zürich and a six digit serial number. In 2012, bicycle plates were abolished. Right picture: Military bicycle plate; these were permanent.

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