I realize this post is a couple years old, but here is some info on the Elgin company. In a nutshell, the original Elgin machines were produced between 1896-1898; after that, the company closed down and the Elgin name was put on machines made by other companies. I just acquired one today, and across the top is “The Elgin Sewing Machine Co., Rockford, Ills. U.S.A.” This leads me to believe that mine was made by the original Elgin.
https://sewingiscool.com/antique-elg...machine-value/