Oh, just remembered, I stopped in a tiny little antique shop (attached to a pawn shop) today. A man came in trying to sell a little bitty hand crank Singer machine. It was like the one here:
http://www.shopgoodwill.com/viewItem.asp?ItemID=8214542
I wondered what it was and when it was made as well. A commemorative item? A toy? I figured someone here would know, and might tell me if I passed up a great find. If I remember, he was asking $40 for it. The dealer turned him down.