Elgin (IL) Centennial – 1936

Rovelstad’s Work to Celebrate Elgin’s 100^th Anniversary

1936 was the year when the people of Elgin, Illinois planned to celebrate their city’s Centennial. Like other groups in the 1930s, they had hoped a commemorative coin would help to defray all of the expenses of the celebration. They also wanted to raise funds to erect a monument to the pioneers who originally settled Elgin.

Trygve Rovelstad was a local sculptor and he had watched other cities get commemorative coins authorized and the sale of those coins paid for their celebrations. So in 1935, Rovelstad had his Representative introduce legislation. It stalled in Congress until 1936. In the interim, Texas Coin Dealer, Lyman W. Hoffecker reached out to the Elgin Centennial Monumental Committee with some helpful tips on how to garner support for the legislation in Congress and how to make the minting and issuance of these coins a success. Hoffecker had successfully designed and handled the distribution of the 1935 Old Spanish Trail commemorative half dollar, just a year earlier.

Hoffecker did not confide to Rovelstad that he was a coin dealer and he was able to convince Rovelstad to sell the entire allocation of coins to Hoffecker.  The bill passed through Congress, but it was amended to authorize 25,000 coins, which would all be dated 1936 and all would be struck at one mint. Congress was determined to stop the abuses of low mintage commemorative coins selling at astronomical prices.

Now Rovelstad had to have his design approved by the Commission of Fine Arts and then by the US Mint. The obverse of the coin depicts the head of a bearded Pioneer, in profile, facing left. The word “PIONEER” is on the upper periphery above his head. His neck breaks up the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST.” Below the bust is the dates “1673” and “1936.”

The reverse depicts a group of pioneers, including a mother with a baby in her arms. This was the statue that Rovelstad wanted to create and place in Elgin. “UNITED STATES ODF AMERICA” adorned the upper periphery. Under the base on which the group stood were “E PLURIBUS UNUM” and the denomination “HALF DOLLAR.” On the left side was “PIONEER MEMORIAL” in two lines and on the right was “ELGIN, ILLINOIS” also in two lines.

Hoffecker was able to sell 20,015 of the 25,000 coins struck and the rest were returned to the US Mint in Philadelphia. Most of the 20,000 coins sold quickly and were well disbursed. They were initially offered at $1.50, then $1.35 and later at $1.25.

Rovelstad used the profits from the sale of the commemorative half dollars to continue his work on his Pioneer statuary group. He attempted to raise funds to complete the grouping from the federal government but was ultimately unsuccessful.

A friend of his established a foundation to raise money and many people in Elgin donated to the group ultimately raising more than enough to complete Rovelstad’s dream. Although Trygve died in 1990, the statue was finished in his honor in 2001. It stands today in Elgin where Trygve had envisioned it.

Embark on a collection adventure. Shop our wide range of rare coinage!