Originally Posted by luce321
Billy, you guys have gotten me so interested in antique sewing machines that I want to purchase a Singer treadle. I always sewed on my Mom's treadle until I got my own machine when I went to work.
I always go to garage sales on Saturday mornings. After never seeing a sewing machine at any garage sales, yesterday at the second sale was a Singer electric machine. The black paint on the machine was all chipped and the cabinet was a wreck. The finish was just about completely off of it and a leg was missing . It was $20.00. I didn't get it.
The next sale I found a Kenmore from the forties The machine it self was all black and in great condition and the cabinet was very nice too. I don't know if there were attachments with it. They were asking $50.00. Do you think that was a good price?
luce321 - Here's my 2 cents worth. Buy what you like and what you feel is a fair price for vintage sewing machines. Prices seem to very depending on your location and condition of the SM or cabinet.
The first thing that you might consider is why do you want a vintage SM? Quilting, general sewing, resale or because it remind us of special times from our past. Many of us use our vintage sewing machines so we buy what meets our sewing needs the best. With that said, I buy some sewing machines just because I think they look cool; I want a restoration project; or the sewing machine says "please take me home".
The nice thing about buying a vintage sewing machine is -If you don't like it you can always resale it at a later date. :)
I hope you find a sewing machine that will meet your needs and enjoy the search. I think that many of us find that the story behind buying a sewing machine is part of the fun.
Good Luck!!
Judy