English: Illinois 1907 passenger car license plate. This plate originally belonged to Samuel Jesse Stout, 22 Aug 1849 to 7 Sep 1926, of Springfield, Illinois, and was on a Stoddard-Dayton automobile. The plate has metal numbers punched through a leather background. The numbers are then attached to a metal plate that is inside the visible metal frame. Another piece of leather covers the back of the license plate. This is one of the earliest known Illinois pre-state license plates. From 1907 - 1910 the owners of vehicles had to provide their own license plates. These plates were often made from kits that were available at hardware stores.