In 1950, later plates were also manufactured of aluminum - #782-208 is aluminum while #762-636 is steel. If you can help me narrow down the changing point, please email me.
As during World War 2, the Korean War caused another metal conservation effort. This resulted in metal tabs being used to revalidate the 1951 plates for the following year. 1951 plates also saw the introduction of the "A" prefix - once plate numbers reached 999-999, they started over again at A1, the "A" signifying 1 million. This was to continue through 1971.
In 1956, the United States standardized the size of all passenger car license plates at 6 x 12 inches. Virginia had already adopted this new, standard size beginning in 1950, however.
In 1953, Virginia once again returned to the colors of the University of Virginia. Unfortunately, this was short-lived, and plates returned to the black and white colors again in 1954.
