[Gary Wells]

FWIW & IMHO, not wearing a front plate did not become a point of issue, i.e., i.e., until about mid '70's or so. I came across a pic of one of my most cherished hi-po cars that I owned in BFE, Wyoming about '72 or so, (virtually museum quality '69 Plymouth GTX, 440, white exterior with white interior with blue trim, all of the rare options) just a while back, and it wore a front plate.
In about '74 or so, I traded that car for a '70 Dodge Challenger T.A., 340, six-pack, 4 speed, and it also wore a plate. In about '75 or so, in the republik of kali, I bought a '68 Plymouth hemi GTX, and it also wore a front plate. More than likely, wearing a front plate became unkool in about mid to late '70's or so. By early '80's, I no longer owned a car that had a front plate.