ELGIN MOTOR CAR CORPORATION ( 1916 - 1924 )
""The car of the hour" and "Built like a watch" were scarcely subtle reminders that several executives of the famed Illinois company producing clocks and timepieceshad decided to enter the automotive arena."
That is what you can read about ELGIN ( 1916 - 1924 ) in Kimes / Clark, 3rd edition.
In the first year, they sold 617 vehicles only. So it is not surprising that the first emblem from 1916 is very rare. The best year was 1920 with 4613 cars sold.From then on production went down continuously and in the last year they sold only 323 cars before production was finally stopped. In 9 years they manufactured 16,784 cars.
The 1916 emblem is looking very beautiful and it is very sought after by collectors :
| Size | 6.3 cm x 6.3 cm |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Estimate |  |
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| backside with makers mark from Greenduck Co. Chicago |
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| 1916 advertisment presenting the new car and the emblem |
As it is a very rare and a very sought after emblem it was reproduced by Harry Pulfer in the nineteensixties.
As you can see, there were many errors in the reproduction. The size has become too small. The letters are filled with red enamel instead of black, the red enamel is opaque instead of transparent. The radiator has a wrong water tank. The letters ELGIN and the wheels are not on the same level. The reproduction has a flat backside. Therefore it is quite easy to recognize the reproduction.
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| left original right repro |
In 1917 the emblem was redesigned. Now there was an emblem showing three interlocking triangles:
| Size | 6.6 cm x 6.0 cm |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 - 1919 |
| Estimate |  |
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| backside with makers mark from Greenduck Co. Chicago |
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| 1917 list of parts showing the new emblem |
In 1920 the emblem was redesigned again. Now you find a round emblem where the old emblem is integrated:
| Size | 7.0 cm |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Estimate | |
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| backside without makers mark |
To my knowledge the following emblem is the last before production ceased, but I couldn´t find an advertisment, a brochure or a contemporary photo showing an original car with this particular emblem:
| Size | 6.3 cm x 5.6 cm |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 - 1924 |
| Estimate | |
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| backside with makers mark (modernized) makers mark from GREENDUCK Co. CHICAGO |
If you want to know more about emblem manufacturers click here !
Finally, I was able to acquire an emblem of ELGIN, which is probably particularly rare. I have not been able to find this emblem on any advertisement or brochure or contemporary photo.
Remarkably, however, it is printed on the paper share that ELGIN issued in December 1923.
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| N.O.S. emblem |
| Size | 5.8 cm x 4.5 cm |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
| Estimate | |
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| backside without makers mark |
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| The match of the letters on the paper and the emblem is perfect |
For more emblems see older posts or top right ( list of carmakers ).
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