You are currently at
www.Antibuyer.com, our antique buying and general information website
about antique sewing machines. We conduct antique sales, including those for
antique and vintage sewing machines, including Singer Featherweight 221
and 222 sewing machines, from our sister website
www.Patented-Antiques.com.
Th
ere
you will find one of the largest and most comprehensive listings of
antique and vintage sewing machines for sale on the internet or in the
world. The vast majority of the machines you will find for sale there are
on consignment from collectors or their heirs. Over the years we
have handled several large and diverse collections of sewing machines.
See the FAQ Page on both of our sites to see how this can work for you, be
it for a single sewing machine or your entire sewing machine collection.
Examples of
Desirable Antique Sewing Machines
Below are
a series of pictures that graphically illustrate some of the vintage and antique sewing machines we
buy, sell, and deal in. What we
aim to do on this page is to give you
some actual pictures and information about the types of rare and desirable
vintage and antique sewing machines that we are seeking, and a sense of
values for them.
If you have antique sewing
machines similar to those
you see on this page that you want to sell, please contact us at
LCM@AntiqBuyer.com
with details and we will get back to
you ASAP.
The most important thing to understand
about the development of the sewing machine is that there is a huge
difference in the look, rarity, and values of sewing machines that were manufactured before the 1870's compared to
those that were manufactured after that time.
Hand-Held Style Sewing
Machines
On the left is what is known as an American Hand scissors-style sewing
machine. Value for such a machine, depending on condition and other
factors, can run from a couple hundred dollars to a couple thousand
dollars. Other examples of this style sewing machine would be the
Goodbody patent, Hendrick patent, and Beckwith sewing machines.
There were relatively few sewing machine
manufacturers in these earliest years, but the invention took off to
the extent that by the 1880's there were literally millions of
sewing machines that were very similar to each other being produced
by many different manufacturers and sold to every household in
America. More information about these is below.
Although the "later" (1880 and beyond) machines are "antique" in
the sense of their age, they do not have the same historical
significance or values as the earliest models. For that reason our
main focus is on buying and selling those earliest examples.
Some antique sewing machines, such as Wilcox & Gibbs
and most Wheeler & Wilson, carry early patent dates but also carry much
later patent dates and were produced well into the 19th and even 20th
Century. They are bought by beginning collectors and decorators,
and their value is based more on their decorator appeal
rather than
on their historical significance. First model examples of both of
these can bring several thousand dollars, while later 
examples
sell for $100 to $1000 or so, depending on the details.
Cute and Clamp-On Style Sewing
Machines
On the right is a Cute. It is an 1870's patent and has an unusual
gearing mechanism. Note it also has an integral clamp. These
sewing machines are relatively hard to find, but most serious collections
have an example. It's value, depending on circumstances, can run
from as little as a few hundred to a couple thousand. There were a
number of other sewing machines that were small and portable with built in
clamps, including one by Charles Parker, the Hardie patent, the various
Hancock patents, and more, and all are desirable and collectible.
We are primarily interested in
helping you sell pre1870 patented sewing machines, or machines that are of a style that is
distinctly different from the common look of most "antique"
sewing machines. If you have or know of an example of one of these
earlier and different looking sewing machines that is for sale,
please contact us at
LCM@AntiqBuyer.com
anytime.
"New England" Style Sewing
Machines
There are a seemingly endless variety of machines that fall into a style
collectively referred to as New England
sewing
machines. They were manufactured by a number of different companies and all
with slightly different variations in features and decoration. The most
notable thing about these machines is that they utilized a "walking
presser foot" to move the fabric along from above rather than using the
more typical feed dogs from below.
These antique sewing machines
were made in the 1860's and 1870's and in general have fancy open-work
body styles and decorative brightly colored paintwork. One such
example is pictured above and another to the right. A critical
factor in determining value of these antique sewing machines is the condition of
the paint and decoration. Pristine examples in their original
boxes are considerably more desirable than those with little or no remaining paint.
These are the most readily-found of all early antique sewing machines, and
condition is paramount in relation to value. "Dogs" currently sell
for $200 or less on Ebay, while pristine examples can bring four figures
when properly promoted and marketed.
"Paw Foot" Style
Antique Sewing
Machines Another type of early sewing
machine found in many varieties are the Shaw and Clark or "pawfoot"
style sewing machines. Shaw and Clark was but one
manufacturer
and some machines are unmarked while others carry names such as "Ketchem's
Patent", Monitor, Wilson, Atwater, Goodspeed & Wyman, Hodgkin's patent,
Granite State, and
others.
They are typically hand-crank machines that could be
adapted to a treadle. They are sometimes referred to as having a "fire hydrant" shaped body enclosing
the drive mechanism. This is sometimes topped with an acorn finial or other
decorative element. Other Shaw
& Clark machines nicknamed after the body style are referred to as open pillar, closed pillar, skinny pillar,
square pillar, or fat pillar. The values of these sewing machines
are also dependant on the condition and whether or a collector feels they
need each and every variation, or if they are satisfied with just one.
More
Pawfoot-Style Sewing
Machine Variations Other similar machines dating from this
era
that we buy, sell and deal in are Watson patent sewing machines like the
example pictured here. The Folsom patent sewing machine that was manufactured in or near
Winchendon, Massachusetts or Biddeford,
Maine in the 1860's is another example They are harder to find
than the examples above. Again, condition is really important on these
sewing machines and when you see an example in pristine condition you'll agree!
Other historically important and desirable early patented antique sewing machines we would love to have the opportunity to
help you sell, to name just a few, are those bearing the names Secor, Thomson, Leavitt,
Pratt, Blodgett & Lerow, Blees, Battelle, Parker, Holly, and any others
dating prior to 1870.
Singer Sewing Machines
Singer is by far the best known name of sewing machines in the world.
Though most Singer sewing machines are very common and frequently found,
Singer
produced
some very rare and desirable machines in the early years (pre 1860), and
the best of these are known
as the Singer Model 1, the Singer Model 2. The Model 1 and 2 are
very large primitive looking sewing machines. After that came the
Singer Turtleback which was a much more refined looking machine. The other desirable model from this early era is known as the
Letter A.
There is some
interest in the more ornate or later Singer cabinet and treadle models but
in general after the Turtleback and Letter A most Singer
sewing machines are considered relatively common, and fall into the period of mass production.
Singer
Featherweight 221 and 222 Sewing Machines The
major exception to this is the Singer Model 221 and 222 
Featherweight sewing machines
like the one pictured on the right. These Singer sewing machines
are relatively
common with close to two million having been made. But they enjoy vast popularity as "user" machines with today's quilters,
craftspeople, and other seamstresses. They are a testament to the quality of the
product that Singer used to put out.
We have been selling Singer Featherweights for 20 years
and have a nice selection of these sewing machines for sale on our sister
website
www.Patented-Antiques.com. The demand for these
special sewing machines is strong, and we are one of the leading online
sources for quality Singer Featherweights. We can help you sell
yours!
Singer
Featherweight
Consignment Sales
As experienced and
enthusiastic dealers of Singer Featherweight
sewing machines we are always interested in helping you sell your
Featherweight machines
through the Consignment Program we offer for more than you could realize
in most other situations.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
If you would like to read more about Singer Featherweights
be sure to see the special Featherweight
Sewing Machine page we have dedicated to them on this site.
If you would like to buy a Singer Featherweight 221 or
222 please see our Featherweight sales page at
www.Patented-Antiques.com.
Please see the FAQ page or email us for details on our consignment program at
LCM@AntiqBuyer.com.
Examples of Antique Sewing
Machines Wanted
*****Click the
Links Below*****
The above sewing machines are examples of the
caliber, condition, and quality of antique sewing machines that we are primarily interested in
and in helping you sell.
If you have quality antique sewing
machines similar to those that you see
on this page that you want to sell, please contact us at
LCM@AntiqBuyer.com
If you have additional questions about
our consignment sales program please see the FAQ
page
To see examples of antique sewing machines that
we currently have for sale and have sold in the past, please go to our sister site
at www.Patented-Antiques.com.and
visit the different sewing machine pages you will find there.
Thank you!!
Important Information:
Sewing Machines we
DO NOT
Buy & Sell
We do not buy, nor do we have any
information about, typical looking large treadle sewing machines dating
from near the turn of the century. This would include White, New Home, Standard, Minnesota, Sears, Domestic, Free,
Westinghouse and a host of other similar looking sewing machines.
We
do not buy, sell, or have information about, any electric sewing
machine other than the Singer model 221-222 mentioned above.
If you have a sewing machine from the
1890's or later that you wish to sell and want further information on please
CLICK HERE
Because we don't buy
or sell them, we don't follow
the market for those later machines and we do not research them. Please take a look at the
link above to see what machines we are
referring to before contacting
us about your
later "antique" sewing machine.
Thank You!
Larry & Carole
