I have three of them, all from ebay none of which I paid over 175 for. I found the accessories and feet to go with them on ebay before the prices got too high. My son took the parts from two broken ones and rebuilt one for me (black) The white one I got is in good working order, the paint is a little damaged on the edge but I bought it knowing that I just wanted one that I could carry around and use without worry. The case was destroyed somehow by the postal service. So I have put it in a canvas bag to carry it around. I would love to have the 222, free arm version but those are definately out of the price range I am willing to pay. They are much rarer since not as many were made.

It has been my observation that it is a whole lot of things; demand, mostly. When I bought mine 9 yrs. ago, there hadn't been any for sale in this part of the country for a very long time. So, I got mine for $500.00
It had hardly been used, and was really in very good condition. It also had the Scrollwork, all of the attachments, a workable case, and a book. It sewed the first minute I tried it and gave and still does, give a beautiful stitch.
So, to me, it was worth it. I have seen our tech. guy, but mostly my own misunderstanding of how it works, and I had already worn out 1 bobbin case.
There are others who have paid as little as $200, but they had to have work done on them. So, guess it depends on many things what the price will be.
Mariah

some people think that if a machine is old and black, it must be worth a fortune; no matter what condition its in.

Ok, so I went back and talked to the authorised singer repair man in my area and asked him again what is the difference between the black ones and the tan-green-white ones. He said the main difference is the black ones are gear driven thus a better quality. The others are belt driven, thus a lesser quality. Hope this clears things up.

This is a true story. My DH and I "passionately" collected vintage and antique sewing machines for several years. We saw a featherweight, I think it was a 1964, on E-Bay. It was beautifully presented and in fantastic condition. The time was just before Valentine's Day, two years ago. It had many pictures with hearts and roses around it. Had to be shown by a graduate of the Barnum and Bailey pitch man school. It sold for just over $1,200.00. Couldn't believe it. Many times people ask high prices because they think that someone, somewhere will pay it. You can get good deals on them, but the condition, scroll face plate and year are important to most collectors. Other than decorative (decals, face plate) aspects, the machines remained the same as far as function and appearance. We found most of those we bought on E-Bay ranged in price from $134 to $295 plus shipping. The one for $295 is in pristine condition. Hope this helps you.

I have never seen a FW without a belt. The 301's (big sister to the FW) are gear driven. I do think that the white FW's have some nylon moving parts on the inside. I believe the original white FW's had red belts, which some people prize if in good condition.