We didn't get home until after 11pm last night (stopped for supper in Jackson). Only onpacked what would not handle being outside with temps around 5, so we've got lots to unpack today.
We didn't get the Singer 9W. This is one case where it was worth more in sentimental value to the owner (was her grandma's machine) than it would ever be worth to a collector. So I encouraged her to keep it, and we talked about where to get information to get it up and running. The machine was in decent shape, the cabinet had been through a lot - which can make it more sentimental, but worth less. I have a really nice old cabinet that has my daughter's name lightly scratched into one of the drawers. You can only see it if the light is just right - and I love the imperfect letters that show she had recently learned to write her name when she did that. The funny part, I never even saw it until we moved and the peice got put where the sun shined on it in the afternoon. By that time my daughter had already moved out of the house!
I've gotten plenty of "grandma's machines" where the seller really was ready to have them go into the hands of someone that wanted to love them and treat them as valued sewing machines, but I really hate to see someone sell something they still have a lot of sentimental ties too. And that owner already had her won grandkids - and someday they may love to have GGGrandma's machine - I'd give my eye teeth to have my Grandma's machine!
The bad news about my Grandma's machine. I had thought my niece had it, but now that I've got the cabinet I found out that over 30 years ago, one of my other Sister's no good boyfriend talked my Mom into letting him have it to sell to someone. Probably traded for drugs
Doubt the buyer was actually interested in the machine as the foot pedal and electric cord stayed in the cabinet. Since I can't love my own Grandma's machine, I'll love all the other "grandma's machines" that I have LOL!!
I did pick up the Domestic in the coffin top treadle cabinet. The seller bought it from an Amish man. He said someone told him it was worth way more than he was selling it for. I told him that may be true if he could get the machine to a location where there were 2-3 collectors of that particular machine in the same area. He'd had it listed for two weekends and I was the only one interested - and I was coming all the way from South Dakota, so not like there was a lot of interest "locally" for it. I also explained that the only reason I was after that particular machine was because I had attachments that when with it - not because there was anything special about the machine. And it's missing a slide plate - I figure I'll end up buying a junk machine off ebay to get that one part - so we settled on $85 and I loaded her up.
We stopped at Goodwill after lunch and saw a beautiful green "White" in a plain cabinet. The machine was so pretty - the price was so high $149!!! Which is good as if it had been $25 there would be another in the truck to unload! Everything at that particular Goodwill was very high priced, and it was full of people buying so that must be the norm for that area.
Now comes the hard part - fitting these in my house. I'm going to organize the shed and move some furniture out there. I've got a wonderful buffet I bought at auction 9 years ago for $350. I've moved it from room to room as we remodeled, and in the end we don't have anywhere to put it! I hate to part with it, but I'll never have a spot to put it in this house, and I don't think I'd want to haul it if we move south some day. I'll put that out in the shed (which is weather tight but not heated) and that will free up more room in the house. DH calls it "shift the sh!t". He suggests we take things from the house to the dump - if they are my things, for some reason he's not so willing to do that if they are things he is attached too!
DH told me yesterday that he really does not want to spend more money on this house - so adding another room is out of the picture
