The Elgin Illinois Centennial half dollar was struck to honor the individuals who played a massive role in the establishment of Elgin, outside of Chicago. The roots of Elgin can be traced back to its founding in 1835 and became an esteemed prominence of a city in 1854.
Beginning in 1934, Trygve Rovelstad, a sculptor, helped to create a statue in Elgin as a homage to the early settlers who played a pivotal role in shaping the town's history. Further, in 1935, Rovelstad set the wheels in motion by initiating a legislative proposal in Congress, aiming to obtain the authorization for a half-dollar coin intended to commemorate Elgin's centenary. Regrettably, the bill encountered challenges and did not receive the attention it deserved.
Further, Hoffecker, a coin dealer with roots in El Paso, Texas, put forth an alluring proposition to the Elgin committee. He pledged to front the face value of the coins to the Mint, thus taking responsibility for the costs associated with engraving and shipping.
The bill’s approval was eventually signed into law by President Roosevelt in 1936 mainly due to the incredible partnership of Rovelstad and Hoffecker. The Philadelphia Mint was tasked with the coin's manufacturing, successfully minting the entire batch of 25,000 coins by the conclusion of 1936.
On the obverse side of the coin, you'll find the profile of a pioneer, while the reverse features a group of four adult pioneers, with a baby cradled in its mother's arms. As a matter of fact, this reverse image was a bas-relief version of the original model that Rovelstad had intended for his statue. This very image was also used on the medal that Rovelstad designed for Elgin's centennial, accompanied by the inscription "to the men who have blazed the trails, who have conquered the soil, and who have built an empire in the land of the Illini." Thanks to Hoffecker's input, "Elgin, Illinois" was added to the coin's design.
Overall, he successfully dispersed around 20,000 coins from the overall mintage, while the remaining pieces were sent back to the Mint for melting.
A LITTLE STICKER MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.
Within each number of the coin grading scale is a small range of condition from low-end to high-end. Certified coins of the same grade can be of varying quality. Many of today’s collectors want coins that are solid or premium quality for their assigned grade. CAC holds coins to a higher standard so you can be confident in the value of yours. We verify previously graded coins … and award our sticker only to those coins that meet the standard for today’s selective buyer.
WHAT THE CAC STICKER MEANS:
- Verified. Your coin has been verified as meeting the standard for strict quality within its grade.
- Guaranteed. CAC stands behind our verification.
THE CAC STICKER IS BACKED BY EXPERIENCE.
CAC was founded by leading members of the numismatic community, including John Albanese, a respected authority on coin grading and the rare coin market.
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