Originally Posted by earthwalker

Wow, some fantastic machines (Billy you are a legend!). I love antiques and have been a collector of various things for some years. Yes if you mess about with the finish on a valuable piece, it can mean a drop in value, or indeed polish it to death, in the case of some metal objects. But, as mentioned earlier age does not always equate to value, many sewing machines were produced in very large numbers and even when old are quite low in monetary value (but are precious for other reasons). Like old cars, that are not particularly collectable, vintage machines can be customised and given a new finish without compromise...just think of them as the Hot Rods of the sewing and quilting world.