Originally Posted by
Charlee
I knew I had something wrong!
Mason didn't sell to White, they sold out to Domestic, who later merged with White. These articles are what makes me think that AG Mason manufactured its own machines.
Per "The Sewing Machine Collector" website:
The company was established in the early 1900s by A.G.Mason, a former agent for the Davis Sewing Machine Co. The concern specialized in sales through large retail stores, with many marques being used. Following the death of Mason in 1916, the company became a subsidiary of the Domestic Sewing Machine Co.
From The Encyclopedia of Antique Sewing Machines, 3rd Edition:
HISTORY OF THE COMPANY
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the A.G. Mason Sewing Machine Company manufactured sewing machines from the 1880s to about 1916. After the original Florence Sewing Machine Company went bankrupt in the late 1870s, Mr. Mason apparently acquired the company in the early to mid 1880s. This new company, doing business as the Florence Machine Company and located in Florence, Massachusetts, manufactured sewing machines based on White models.
Like many of the smaller manufacturers, A.G. Mason seems to have concentrated on making sewing machines for departments stores and other retailers. Models sold by the company included the Defender, Wilson, Crown, Queen, New Queen, and Florence. In the early 1900s, the company apparently moved its operation to Cleveland, Ohio, and was renamed the A.G. Mason Sewing Machine Company. In 1916, the company was purchased by the Domestic Sewing Machine Company which itself later merged with the White SM Co. in the 1920s.
Hi Charlee,
Interesting stuff! I used to have a Mason badged 'Florence' that was exactly like a White VS1, except that it had a plate tension instead of the upright disk on the arm. (Actually here it is:
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/...62576881LBEJWp .) Katie Farmer looked at it and said it didn't have a White serial number, but I *think* she eventually concluded that all Masons were actually manufactured by White.
Charles Law's book is 10-15 years old, and I don't think he's fixed many of the original errors. Katie Farmer has done a lot of research on Whites. I'm not sure who I'd believe, but all the Masons I've seen sure looked like Whites.
What is "The Sewing Machine Collector" website?
pat