The first Featherweight was dated October 3, 1933. That was the little black one. The 221 was manufactured until August 6, 1968. They came in black, white and tan. During the war years they were some manufactured different from the normal FW. Some had a crinkle black finish and some were even painted in army colors because the army used them to make uniforms, etc. The 222 Freearm was manufactured in Kilbowie, Scotland from July 23, 1953 through March 30, 1961. Those are the dates on the Singer website and another website I use frequently. They're both helpful to date other machines I find by their serial numbers.