desirable vintage machines
 

I read a comment from someone about a machine being desirable. Is there a list of desirable machines, or is it just common knowledge among those who collect them?.

I think that is going to depend on who you ask, the actual machine and what you are going to do with it.
There are people who think a Singer Featherweight or a Singer 301 is the bomb. If you are going to do a lot of zig zag work those are not the bomb. If you get a machine in bad shape it is not the bomb no matter what it is unless you are kookie like me and like to mess with the bad machines.

Are you going for looks or for smooth even stitching? As far as collecting - anything goes. There isn't a whole lot of value in old sewing machines so look around at what is on QB and other places and see what might remotely appeal to you and your tastes then dive in the deep end and enjoy yourself. You may find some work better for you than others.

I thought I didn't like long bobbin machines until I tried one. Muv has wonderful information and that was the missing piece for me.

I collect pretty machines. Things that i find interesting to look at and I can fuss with. I like Kenmore's they seem to be the one that I purchase. LOL I do have three or 5 singers. I have a 401 A that everyone likes but I don't sew with often there's something about it that irks me. I only bought it because it was priced pretty good at $10 bucks. I have a Singer 15-91 that i tend to favor over that 401 and if i need a zig zag i just break out my Bernette 270. For me I think it's the color and unique looks that various machines have.

A desirable machine is in the eyes of the beholder. We all here have ones we love and ones we don't. There are certain older machines that are popular across a large spectrum of people like most of the pre-1960s Singers. There are those of us who prefer Kenmores, those who like the vintage Japanese machines, some like the really old treadle or hand crank machines, some who like the challenge of bringing the rusty old heaps back to life, some who prefer buying the pristine antique machines, there just isn't any way to narrow a "list" down to a set few machines. It all depends on what makes your heart go pitter patter.

Cari

Some machines like the Featherweights and 301s are more popular than other machines. Me, I like them all. I especially like "oddballs" for lack of a better term. I like things like the early electric machines before manufacturers settled on a standard way of doing things or some of the machines of the 30s and 40s that other people might think are ugly. I just haven't lucked into the right ones to bring them home yet.
Rodney

I guess I just have a "sewing machine fetish"--anywhere I go, I am always looking around for a sewing machine. And most of the time, I'll buy it--even though I don't have room for another sewing machine in my house, nor in my sewing room, and have invaded DH's shop with sewing machines that I have "bought just because it was sitting there looking pitiful". But my most favorite in the whole wide world is my 1986 Elna with the special insignia on it because that is the year that Elna and I were 50.

I like Treadles and the early hand cranks. Once in while an electric will catch my pocket book. For some reason I just picked up a big old industrial 31-15 I need to focus.

in my ways, whats desirable is the price , the price does include cost of going to pick up a machine.. right down to that hamburger and pop.

I try to stay in the black and gold color scheme , Don't care what year or name , rust or how bad the wood is.

I say there price because like making the quilts, it's a hobby. and I give both of those away >> unless I over 100+$ invested in them LOL.

Cari's 100% right: Do you mean "do I love this?" or do you mean popular, strong collector market, high price etc?

My 96K41 is very desirable in my eyes, but I picked it up for $50 after it was relisted on eBay for several months (because nobody would pay that much for an industrial clothing machine!). In the end I had a (fairly low, but more than I paid) offer for my 96K49 by someone who really needed it so I sold it and bought the poor unloved K41.

If you mean what would be a good investment, the most valuable domestics are the 222K. However they're not really increasing in value, just keeping up with the cost of living. They're also really cute, light and do a good stitch.

Older machines like my VS2 are beautiful (see avatar) hold their value and are extremely practical. Do you want decor? Nobody so far has ever said they don't like the way it looks.

If you want an 'investment', I think you're looking in the wrong place. If you truly mean desirable, then only you can answer that, because it's completely subjective. If you want a recommendation for what machine to buy, we'll help you with that depending on what you want to do.

One last thing is that if you think you love a machine, sit down and stitch with it before buying it. I hated my first 201 and avoided using it just on the look (it was that 1950s poo brown) but when I sewed with it everything changed: It instantly became my favourite.

"desireable" - for you or in general?

In General - Singers are desirable - there are plenty of collectors for the others, but in general, more people are interested in Singers.

Condition means a lot to value- there are a lot of machines with worn decals/finishes. In general, people will pay more for prettier looking machines

Availablity of supplies - in genereal people are more willing to buy a machine they can get needles and bobbins/shuttles for. There are some that if they don't come with bobbins - or a shuttle/bobbin case, the owner may have to pay more for those than they did for the machine. This is also why Singer is more desirable, supplies are available for most makes.

Now - if you want to get a amchine for personal use, then what makes it "desirable" is solely in your eyes. My husband and I have very different criteria on what makes a machine "desirable" - for him, price is a large factor, and for me, well, I've paid over $1000 to get a rare vintage machine I wanted.