Originally Posted by
JustAbitCrazy
It is an early Kenmore, and they are very good machines. I know it dates prior to the 1980's because that's when I bought my first one (the model number on mine starts with 158.xxxx.) This one will have a model number less than that---maybe in the 140's ? I agree that the door at the top is probably for inserting cams to make stitches other than a straight stitch. The Kenmores in the 158. series have the knobs for fancy stitches right on the front of the machine. If you post your question on the "antique/vintage machines" forum, I'm sure you'll find experts who know much more about this machine. I say definitely go and see/ try it!
As I understand it, the best of the Kenmores are the 158.xxx series. The machine under discussion here is plain, no special features and probably earlier. If you buy it, make sure it has all the cams and that you can change them and that they work.