auntpiggylpn

Boy, that seller has all his/her bases covered doesn't he/she????

tropit

I like the way the green color sort of bleeds into the tablecloth and other surrounding areas.
~Cindy

oldsewnsew

You'd think if they were going to that much trouble, they'd get a photo with the color right?!

Rodney

I kind of like the wide range of prices too. The only thing they have in common is they're all at least top dollar.
Rodney

miriam

SO what is top dollar for a 301???

pw6

yep, that is a shock, surely they know they is off the wall.. LOL..

Rodney

I think the highest I've seen so far is around $200, maybe $250. Anything over $150 is at the high end of the range to me. I've seen them as low as $50 too. Black ones seem to go higher than the beige, I haven't seen that many oyster ones yet, maybe they can go higher. They go for less than the featherweights but are still popular enough to bring more money than your average machine.

There are currently 4 on shopgoodwill at the moment, the 2 black ones stand to break the $200 mark. I checked a few completed listings on Ebay, I saw a black one at $250 and a couple of oyster ones with accessories that went for good money, one at $275 and one at $300. I also saw a bunch that finished significantly lower than that.

The one we're talking about still appears to me to be at the high end of the range. If you don't want one "right now" it's pretty easy to get a better price on one.

I was partially right but I was wrong too. The black ones and oyster ones do tend to go a little higher than I thought. I said around $250 max but there are enough examples higher than that to prove me wrong. Way to rub it in, I had to walk away from a black one at $50 a short while ago.

You've been playing with these machines a lot longer than me, what's your expectations on prices Miriam?
Rodney

amcatanzaro

Black long beds usually pull "top price" especially with the case, accessories, bobbin case, etc etc.

Short beds with nothing but the foot pedal and not in perfect shape? On eBay they tend to pull right around $100.

mlmack

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/atq/4350198283.html

He's dreamin', though it is a looker.

Rodney

That is a pretty one. It's in beautiful shape and in a nice walnut stand.

Sad in a way. It's hard for me to explain my thoughts on this but basically we know they most likely won't get anywhere their asking price. We also know what the new modern plastic marvels sell for and which machines are made better-or at least made of better materials. It's pretty impressive what some of the new machines can do pretty much just by touching the screen (pushing an actual physical button is also getting outdated) but will they be around in 50 years? We know the old metal mechanical machines can easily last that much longer. The plastic parts in machines made only 40 or 50 years ago are already getting brittle with age. The same will eventually happen with the new machines too. What would an all metal mechanical machine like the old ones go for if they were being made today? I guess what I'm trying to say is what the market will bear isn't always a true reflection of the value of a machine. The old woodworking machines I also enjoy and many other antiques and vintage items are very much under-valued compared to new items that are made to the same standards.

None of this prevents me from looking for the best deals on vintage and antique items though.
Rodney