I think my mother told me she paid $135 for her featherweight in the late 30s or early 40s. I know she said that she was making $1 a day working in the local store, so it was a major purchase. She handcarried it on the train from Illinois to Maryland when she married my father in 1946. I learned to sew on it. I purchased one in mint condition at a yard sale for just $20. I let my two neices have Mom's machine as she had taught them to sew on it and it was well worn.