Hello,
I have been bitten by the vintage sewing machine bug, but I can't make up my mind on which one to buy. I am looking at a Morse fotomatic, an Emdecko, a Singer 301, 401 or Rocketeer, and a Necchi Supernova. Which one would you pick? Thanks for your opinion!
Scraffy

When the right one comes along, and you have the $$ in your pocket, you will know. I am sure they are all fab machines, now to find them.

The only place I have to purchase one is on ebay. There is no place to find one in my area. If they were all the same price and condition, what would be your choice?

Necchi is, as I understand it, the mercedes benz of machines. I have one old one not in working order at the moment.

When I had narrowed down my choices (just like you) I sent the links from eBay to Billy (Lostn51) and took his advice. He's the one to ask.

I got a 1961 Atlas that looks like it is showroom perfect. Even though I intend to use it and oil and clean it myself, I felt more comfortable taking it to my trusted guy for a tune-up, so it isn't here yet, but asking Billy made me far more comfortable in my choice.

Good luck.

(You know, if you end up with several that you want, and different prices in your head, you can use AuctionSniper in a bidding group. It will bid on each one up to the price you put on it, until you get one. Then it will stop. For items like this, it's my way of not getting into a bidding war.)

Thank you. I am going to try out my computer skills and see if I can send these links!

Good luck...hey do you have a craigslist in your area? That is how Ive found mine, and one at a garage sale!

have you looked at flea markets, garage sales, antique stores or free cycles in your area?

The Rocketeer, 301 and 401 are all considered collectible machines and tend to hold their value really well. There is a lot of information available about them on the internet, and replacements parts can be found for them.

Never heard of Emdecko, so doubt that it is a collectible machine. Don't know much about Necchi other than the old ones were workhorses. I am not aware that they are considered collectible, but they might be. Berninas are very collectible, as are the old Singers, and some people like the old Vikings.

Which machine you choose to buy would depend a lot on condition of each machine, price of each machine, and what personally appeals to you.

If you purchase from eBay, make sure the seller knows how to package a sewing machine for shipment. Many, many machines are damaged in shipping because of poor packaging. If there is a cover, the machine should be shipped separately from the cover. Double boxing is good.

If you are unsure, email the seller. If they have never shipped a machine before, you may have a problem. Ask if you can purchase insurance for the shipping.

Before deciding on a machine, join some of the vintage sewing machine groups at http://groups.yahoo.com to get a feel for the different machines.