Value, (like beauty) is in the eye of the beholder. I value my old ladies much more than someone who sews casually on a plastic machine. What many don't realize is that these old machines came with more attachments than today's machines do, and those attachments greatly expand the possibilities of these grand old straight-stitchers. The old buttonhole attachment rivals any modern machine's buttonholes, and the ruffler is loads of fun. In my book, these machines do NOT belong in a landfill or at the end of a rope on a boat. The real shame is that Singer has lost its reputation with its newer machines.