Antique car tire cover, maybe? But what are the numbers and letters for?

[Hugosmom]

I found this very old metal thing today at a thrift store. It looks like an antique spare tire cover, but I am not certain. What are the numbers and letters? Police, post office, early license plate before they were standard? What kind of car might it go to? Or maybe I'm way off track! Thanks for looking and helping if you can. It's about 19 inches.

 

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[Retired Sarge]

License plate? If the cover, covered the tag area, could be the tag. Other than that beats me.

 

[DCMatt]

I don't think it is a car part or license related - but I that's just my gut feeling. I can't prove it.

The large numbers tell me that someone needed to read them from a distance.

Does the number plate come off somehow? There's no impression of it on the underside...

Also interesting that most of the wear is on the concave side, while the convex side is relatively clean and unmarred.

Backing for a railroad crossing light?

 

[Hugosmom]

I've emailed two antique license plate folks and both agree it's likely a tire cover, and most likely a plate number, probably European. The British guy says definitely not English. A little research shows that format could be French from the Seine region as it was assigned RM and the format checks out, but no cars I can find that would fit. If I look at one more rear end of Citreon, I think I will puke.

 

[cudamark]

19 inches is pretty big for a car tire......maybe for a truck or bus?

 

[Nick79]

Looks like the top to a carburetor air filter

 

[Retired Sarge]

Looks like the top to a carburetor air filter

I thought that at first, but figured the hole was too damn big for that.

 

[Retired Sarge]

I've emailed two antique license plate folks and both agree it's likely a tire cover, and most likely a plate number, probably European. The British guy says definitely not English. A little research shows that format could be French from the Seine region as it was assigned RM and the format checks out, but no cars I can find that would fit. If I look at one more rear end of Citreon, I think I will puke.

Remember a lot of US cars ended up in Europe over the years. So it could be a US made car with a Continental Kit on it.

 

[A2coins]

upper air cleaner piece carburster goes in the center

 

[cudamark]

Your typical old automotive air cleaner only had a small hole in the lid for the stud coming up from the carburetor air horn. The air cleaner base would have a big hole, the diameter of the air horn, but not the numbers/letters. I've seen 4X4 wheel covers with holes like that too, but, they're symetrical to keep it balanced and have a larger hole out by the edge for the valve stem. I'm now thinking it's from some sort of sign or marker. Maybe there was a light in the center? I kinda like DCMatt's RR crossing idea too, though it doesn't look as heavy duty as I would think it should be for that purpose.

 

[Hugosmom]

Your typical old automotive air cleaner only had a small hole in the lid for the stud coming up from the carburetor air horn. The air cleaner base would have a big hole, the diameter of the air horn, but not the numbers/letters. I've seen 4X4 wheel covers with holes like that too, but, they're symetrical to keep it balanced and have a larger hole out by the edge for the valve stem. I'm now thinking it's from some sort of sign or marker. Maybe there was a light in the center? I kinda like DCMatt's RR crossing idea too, though it doesn't look as heavy duty as I would think it should be for that purpose.

I should have mentioned earlier that the schmutz on the inside near the hole smells of automotive grease. I'm still mystified!

 

[Nitric]

What about an aircleaner lid or part of the canister for a big truck or piece of equipment? Some of those were big and that would have been the end where the pipe came out that ran to the intake same Idea as what A2coins mentioned.. Maybe that number is the filter number. I have no clue... Maybe even something military?

Something like this..
https://truckpartsinventory.com/air-cleaners-international-parts?p=8

I worked and hung around a shop. some aircleaners are huge on some of the big trucks....

I looked around online, I have no idea what you have. Another thought, Maybe this went on a drum, the hole was to throw whatever in the drum. Like dirty rags as an example. Maybe the number was to keep track of each drum. For whatever reason. Just another out there guess. I don't have a 55 gal drum to measure the top. But it could be any size really, especially if custom made.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

I was thinking a lid to an oil bath air cleaner on a semi truck of some sort or on construction equipment.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Not a match, really, but at least you can see how it might have been used.

19" isn't too large for the old spoked wheels. Image below is a French 1932 Mathis

 

[mojjax]

Maybe a moped license plate - the hole is where the headlight would be - between the handlebars ?