Tristan da Cunha

STATUS: Dependency of St. Helena, under the jurisdiction of Great Britain.

CAPITAL:  The Settlement

WORLD LOCATION: Southern Atlantic Ocean

FIRST LICENSE PLATES IN USE: 1969

MOTOR VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED:  Approx. 15 cars, and about 60 motorcycles.

GRAPHICS USED:  Current plates are white on black plexiglass issues, with the full legend TRISTAN DA CUNHA SOUTH ATLANTIC across the bottom. This is a new series of plates, due to be phased in when the need arises, although with so few motor vehicles actually bearing registration plates on TDC, it's not known when these plates may actually come into use.

The original series of TDC plates with embossed thick aluminum, with the prefix T.D.C. followed by a one to two digit serial number. I've seen embossed issues as low as number 3, and have had embossed plates in my collection, numbered T.D.C 38 and T.D.C. 39.

Rumours that the plexiglass TDC plates are fake are erroneous, and I have multiple letters received directly from the Administrator of Tristan that verify this. There are only two authentic series of TDC plates - the original embossed series, and the later plexiglass series. It's doubtful that any "hand painted" flat TDC plates are authentic, and should probably be considered "island handicrafts" by collectors, even if they appear to have been used. With an ample supply of stamped and/or plexiglass plates on Tristan, it's not likely that an actual TDC resident would go through the trouble of making his own plate.

I also have copy of a video tape that was shown on public TV back in the 1980's, which is an hour long, and shows many view of the people and "goings on" around the island. During the entire program, I didn't see a single plate on the two cars in view, or the single motorcycle that zoomed past in one shot. It should also be made known, that a large majority of motor vehicles registered on Tristan are motorcycles.

In late 1989, I sent a disposable camera to Tristan, in hopes of having a resident shoot any of the plates actually in use, but to this date, nothing has come of it.

PLATES ARE: Officially issued.

In 1969, the embossed aluminum plates came into use. Pairs were issued.

By the late 1980's, plexiglass plates were produced for future use, and made available to collectors. Motorcycle plates first came into use, on a two line design plate, similar to the passenger, but square, also with the slogan.

By 1992, it's reported that number T.D.C. 10 was issued for use on an actual TDC vehicle.

SINGLE PLATES OR PAIRS: Pairs

ISO:  TA

CARS DRIVE ON: Left

Tristan da Cunha motorcycle plate - white on black flat plexiglass, formerly in the Drew Steitz collection.

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