ELGIN

Elgin Motor Car Corp. (1916-1923)
Argo, Illinois
Elgin Motors Inc. (1923-1924)
Indianapolis, Indiana

This is an Elgin radiator emblem (1919)    mjs
Size: 71mm wide 64mm high   MM: Unknown

The Elgin Motor Car Corporation was established by executives from the Elgin company, which made clocks and watches. Elgin motor car publicity used slogans like "Built like a Watch" and "The Car of the Hour".

The Elgin was a conventional car that performed well in endurance contests. The first Elgin cars in 1916 were 21hp six-cylinder automobiles available in touring and roadster styles. The Elgin Motor Car Corporation was very well supported by stockholders and was apparently successful with 1920 the best year with over 4,600 cars sold. But the Elgin was badly affected by the post First World War recession and floated a large bond issue to pay off bank loans and to provide working capital. In June 1923, the company was reorganized as Elgin Motors Inc. with a new management and production moved to Indianapolis but it was all over by the following year.

Emblems

The following Elgin car advertisement from January 1916 includes a depiction of a "Built like a Watch" emblem showing the front view of a motor car:

Elgin car ad showing rad emblem (1916)  ebay

The "Built Like A Watch" emblem is the white, black and red enamel Elgin radiator emblem shown below. This is the first Elgin radiator emblem and is extremely rare.

This is an Elgin radiator emblem (1916-1917)   toc
Size: 64mm high 64mm wide   MM: Greenduck

Emblem collectors should beware as there are reproductions of this Elgin radiator emblem, which are easy to identify, as they have "Built like a Watch" in red enamel instead of black, a different car radiator shape and other differences, as well as shiny flat backs with no maker's mark, see example shown below. 

This is a reproduction Elgin radiator emblem    ms

The following original factory photo from 1918, shows a touring sedan with a different radiator emblem:

Elgin touring sedan with new radiator emblem (1918)  flp

Close up showing radiator emblem 

The Elgin radiator emblem in this photo is not perfectly clear but it is not the "Built like a Watch" emblem shown earlier and is not perfectly round in shape. It is possible that this is the back and white enamel Elgin Capable Six radiator emblem shown below and which may have been introduced in late 1917, although I cannot confirm this. This Elgin Capable Six radiator emblem is very rare.

This is an Elgin Capable Six radiator emblem (c1917-1918)  toc
Size: 60mm wide 57mm high   MM: None (some Greenduck)

A new Elgin emblem appeared in Elgin advertisements in 1919, see example shown below:

Elgin Motor Car ad showing new emblem (1919)    ebay

This is the white and black enamel Elgin radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Elgin radiator emblem was only in use for about a year and is very rare.

This is an Elgin Six radiator emblem (1919)    mjs
Size: 71mm wide 64mm high  MM: Unknown (some Greenduck)

The Elgin radiator emblem was changed to a round emblem in 1920, see Elgin Six advertisement shown below:

Elgin ad showing new emblem (1920)   ma

This Elgin radiator emblem continued in use for a few years, see original period Elgin photo from 1922 shown below:

Elgin Six Series K-1 showing radiator emblem (1922)   flp

This is the black and white enamel radiator emblem shown below. This Elgin radiator emblem is scarce.

This is an Elgin Six radiator emblem (1920-c1923)    mjs
Size: 70mm diameter   MM: Unknown

The following is a variation of this Elgin Six radiator emblem. This Elgin Six radiator emblem is also scarce.

This is an Elgin Six radiator emblem (1920-c1923)   mjs
Size: 69mm diameter   MM: Unknown

The following 1923 Elgin stock certificate was used to raise money to pay off debts and for working capital to help with the restructuring of the Elgin business. The certificate shows the name "Elgin" in a gothic script, quite different from the "Elgin" name used on emblems before 1923. A different gothic script was used on Elgin stock certificates in 1917.

Elgin stock certificate (1923)  ebay

Detail showing the "Elgin" gothic script (1923)

The company was restructured as Elgin Motors Inc. in June 1923 and Elgin production resumed in Indianapolis under new management. It it believed that a new Elgin emblem was introduced in 1923. This is the oval shaped dark blue Elgin radiator emblem shown below, which uses exactly the same gothic script as in the 1923 stock certificate. This Elgin radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is an Elgin radiator emblem (1923-1924)    sam
Size: 59mm wide 44mm high      MM: Unknown