Originally Posted by mickey
Billy or Charlee Help please this is an antique sewing machine i am looking to purchase. It is not a singer but is said to be manufactured in late 1800's. Can you tell me anything about this machine from this picture? The spool holder on top is different from others i have seen
It's hard to tell from those photos when the machine was likely made, but Wheeler and Wilson sold out to Singer sometime around 1905, so this machine was made before that. Wheeler & Wilson had both a Model 9 and a Model D-9.
The spool holder is unique, it's folded down now, to allow the spool of thread to be loaded, once the thread is on, it lifts back up and is upright, looking like an upside down "U" with a spool on one post of it.
If you're looking for a vintage machine to use and keep using a lot, this is most likely not the machine you want to buy. The needles are obsolete, and when you can find them, they're terribly expensive. The credit card that I use for ebay tells the story...I bought 18 needles for my Singer 9W (basically the same machine) for $65....and consider myself lucky not only to have found them, but to have purchased them for that price. They often sell for $10 a needle. You CAN find them, sometimes OSMGs (Old Sewing Machine Guy) will have them laying around in a dusty back room... use this fact as a bargining chip when you negotiate price!
That's the only negative to buying this machine. I love the Singer I have, it sews like a dream. I love the cabinet on yours...they're called "coffin tops", and they're not so common to see in a complete state like this one you show....the coffin is often missing, or really beat up.
What are they asking for the machine? If the price is right, and only you can determine that, (it's only worth what someone is willing to pay for it) then I'd say go for it! :)