[TJ]

To my knowledge California does not care if they are restored or not. They make a copy of the plate on the copy machine and then send all the information to Sacramento. You then have to wait for Sacramento to approve them and the you can use them. All they do is make sure the number on the plate is not duplicated on a newer plate. The local DMV does check to make sure the early plates are made of steel and not aluminum. There is an annual additional fee on the YOM plate and all Ca. cares about is the extra money.