I think Spentona means chassis (VIN) plates, not number plates Jon. These were just small square/ rectangular pieces of metal, with the chassis number stamped onto them, pop riveted to parts of the shell on older cars - most often the slam panel at the front. As a result they're easy to remove (or swap onto another car to make a "ringer") and without them it's impossible to prove a car's identity. Modern cars have chassis numbers/ VIN details stamped onto non removable parts of the body shell.
It also means there is a black market for chassis plates/ log books from cars that have been scrapped but never declared to the DVLA as such. You will pay £thousands for Mini Cooper/ RS 2000/ Mexico plates and log books, as it's easy to transfer them onto another bog standard shell and build them up to similar specifications. There are a lot of 'fake' Mini Coopers and classic sporting Fords masquerading as the genuine examples as a result. Though a good replica built well can fetch a good sum of money, the genuine examples can fetch seriously big money in today's market.
I still have the chassis plates and number plates from my first car! The car was scrapped and declared as such to the DVLA, and I don't think there is much of a market for a 1979 1.3 litre base model Vauxhall Cavalier anyway. I kept them purely for sentimental reasons, much the same reason that the chrome hubcaps are proudly hung on my wall now
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