Originally Posted by QuiltnCowgirl
Originally Posted by BoJangles
Originally Posted by deema
Beautiful Featherweight! By that face plate, you have one of the very oldest!
Nancy
Not terribly old - 1946 based on the serial number. Older than me by almost 40 years, though! lol I can't recall when they started production of these...early-mid 30's, wasn't it?
The first FW was introduced at the World's Fair in 1933. Only the very old ones have that face plate. The newer ones have the face plate with straight lines, or like the white and beige ones that were painted.
Nancy
Sometimes face plates on newer FW's got changed out to the older face plates. In fact I had a guy at a sewing repair shop offer to do that for me with mine. I said no thanks...like to stay original.
I was under the impression that some newer ones could have the scroll plate? What I've read is that the plates were just replenished as stock got low, putting the striated ones on top of the left over scrolls...so getting to the bottom of the bin would reveal the scroll plate to be put on a newer model...
Of course, it is possible that it has been changed. The man I got it from is an antique dealer, he said he got it as is.
Funny tidbit though, from what I've read, it's harder if not impossible to pinpoint the date of Canadian made Featherweights, which mine is. The serial number dates it to 1946 according to US manufacture dates, but it could be way off. Does anyone know when they started to manufacture in Canada?