SteveH

I was given this fraud...

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This was passed off (attempted) to another QB member as a rare Wheeler Wilson W9 repainted to Singer 9W supposedly during the "changeover"... NOT.

The paint is modern, the primer under the paint is modern, the decals are modern, the W&W logo is under the paint in the center, and the machine serial numbers indicate an age more like 1890-95 (not 1905 when Singer bought Wheeler & Wilson. A lot of folks do not realize W&W stamped serial numbers into the frame as well as the slide plates. they swap plates but the original # is still there.

I got it so that I could use it to practice removing old decals, fixing up the paint and applying new decals. Since they do not (yet...) make W9 decals (Wheeler Wilson) but they do make 9W (Singer) decals, I am going to redo it in Singer 9W colors until W9 decals are available.

Here is where I got to tonight...

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amyjo

looking pretty good Steve, I guess we all have to watch what someone will try.

jlhmnj

I would have guessed it was a 1940's or 50's rebuild / repaint. With all the decal kits available it's getting harder to tell what's what.

Jon

Candace

I'm just wondering why someone would want to fake a machine like this? They're not worth much in original condition, so why would someone go to any effort to re-badge it?

Rodney

I was surprised to see a Singer W&W and was wondering the same. I expected something much older and rarer. I guess it makes sense in a way though. Regular run machines are cheap and common enough that finding one to repaint isn't a big deal. Much more convenient than making copies of something truly rare. The scammer would have to actually work to do that.

I also play a little with old hand tools. There are some old handtool forgeries out there too that people need to be aware of. I'm not a serious collector, I buy mine to use so I don't need to worry about being taken. The stuff I buy isn't rare or valuable enough for anyone to bother. Some of the forgeries are old and interesting enough now that they're collectibles in their own right.
Rodney

SteveH

It takes all kinds...

Here she is this morning with the decal sheets behind here waiting for application. Paint has set up nicely. I will wait until tomorrow to do the final rubdown on the paint prior to attaching the decals. Because this is actually a W&W#9 it has the W&W spool holder and the W&W logo in the bed so I will be skipping the two decals that go in those spots. I thought about getting a Singer 9W spool pin and filling the hole in the bed where the logo goes, but then it REALLY looks like a fraud attempt. This way she will be clearly a W&W 9 with Singer reproduction decals.

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jlhmnj

Steve,

Does this need to be marked "2014 repaint" once completed so it is not considered a "fraud" in the future or take in the uninformed? Mislabeling work like this seems to be entering a gray zone though I'm sure it will look cool as heck.

Jon

Macybaby

Sometimes you wonder if someone did this for fun, and then at some point somebody else bought it at an estate sale and made the tale up to enhance the sale.

I've been watching eBay for over a year, and I see a lot of misrepresented machines, and often the seller will admit they picked up at an estate sale where no one really knew - so it's all a guess. Or the contacted a "collector" and they were told a whole bunch of BS - which they now believe as gospel. I've seen some pretty outlandish stories too - But Barnum was right you know.

With anything collectable - it's always been "buyer beware" - and often times someone got "took" several sales ago, and it take a while before another person who really knows how to tell the difference gets involved. But then sometimes the "fake" becomes collectable because of it's history of being mistaken for the real thing LOL!!

SteveH

Not sure if it Should happen, but in this case it Will happen. I will be scratching and then gold pen fill a note underneath "repainted, repro decals 2014 - VSS"

SteveH

Also, I am missing this tension assembly. If anyone has a spare, please let me know.

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