SueZQ from MN

I am not at all familiar with vintage Singer machines, but I hear everyone talk of them with such love that I decided to look around and see what you were all talking about. Now I am really confused. haha I did see a model BZ-15-8 with ser. #120426 in a case on a local auction that closes today starting at $5.00. I cannot download a photo, I'm sorry, but it has a lot of heavy gold decoration on it and appears to be in good shape. Is this the type you are talking about? I realize that there might be a lot wrong with it that nobody is talking about, but it looks like it has been cared for. Any information will help my curiosity. Thanks.

bkay

I'm not familiar with a BZ-15-8. I did a search and from the photos online, it appears to me to be a 99. On the serial number, you are missing the letters that precede the numbers.

That said, if you can get a 99 in good visual condition for less than $50.00, you are doing well. Generally speaking, if it's an old singer and it looks good, it is good. You may need to do some cleaning and lubing, but they are almost always great machines and come back to perfect working condition very quickly. Unless they have been stored in poor conditions, they don't give you any problems and will sew perfectly and make beautiful stitches.

BUT, another "that said" - they always look better in the auction photos than they do in person. If you get an opportunity to go to the preview, do so. If not, don't overbid. Without actually seeing it and making sure it turns, I wouldn't go over $40.00.

bkay

OurWorkbench

Welcome to the Vintage world. Were you able to get the machine? I'm fairly certain the BZ # is for the motor only.

A good source for identifying Singer machines can be found at https://www.singer.com/sites/default...%20Machine.pdf

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

SueZQ from MN

bkay, Thank you for you help and pricing guidelines. I am looking at the plate with the serial number and there are no letters preceding the numbers, and no room for them to be missing.

The motor plate has the following information on it:
SINGER in the center of the top row
below that in the center of the plate is a large red "S" on a round silver disc
On the left half of the plate under SINGER is printed SEWING, and on the right is printed MOTOR
below sewing is:
CAT. BZ 15-8
S.S. AU 52-16 -6
The Singer Mfg Co
Elizabethport NJ
SIMANCO
On the right under under the word MOTOR is the following:
110-20volts
0.53 amp
25-75 cycles
A.C. & D.C.
Made in U.S.A.
That is all the information I can see.

The auction ended, but the machine did not sell, so maybe it should still be available.

OurWorkbench

Ooooooooooopppppppppppsssssssss so sorry, that is not the correct address for identifying the Singer.

It should be https://www.sandman-collectibles.com...r-machines.htm

The serial of the machine is 12306426 which would indicate that it is from 1894. The machine would have originally been a treadle or a hand crank. The motor and case would be from a later time. I'm not sure when the VS2 became a 27 as 1893 it was called a VS2 and by 1899 it was a 27. Some say that the rectangular bed would make it a 27 and if it has a fiddle base shape then it would be a VS2. However there is an image on the Smithsonian website that shows a 1893 VS2 with a rectangular bed. It appears that technically the VS2 isn't identified on the link above.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

bkay

SueZQ, I would not make that machine my first vintage machine, unless you just want to collect vintage machines. It's pretty old for a usable machine (not that it's not usable - it will work and probably makes a pretty stitch). I think most of us who rave about (and use) our vintage machines are using machines from the 40's, 50's and early 60's.

When I first got the "vintage machine bug", I bought several machines because they were such a good buy (mostly at auction). I had craigslist.org and the goodwill auction site on my bookmarks toolbar. I think I had 20 something machines before it dawned on me that this was nuts. I didn't have time to rehab them, the garage was full of them and I was still sewing on the same one I had before I started down that road. I had bought mostly Singers, but a few other brands as well.

I would suggest you think about what you want to do with the machines. Most people who buy vintage machines have a certain type they like. This is one where I bought a machine and then decided it wasn't for me and I wasn't ever going to do anything with it: Old QB post. I gifted it to Glenn, who loves treadles and hand-cranks. He did a wonderful job of rehabbing the machine and he actually uses that type of machine. They aren't just for looks at his house.

I have thinned my collection and now only have the mid-century Singers (still too many of them). Those are the ones I enjoy, and the parts are readily available. I've sold some, parted out some and given some away. I'm now down to ten.

This is just my opinion based on mistakes I made when I got the bug. I'm not sure you ever get over that bug, but at least I'm not coming home with machines every week. I've only bought one machine this year and have given away two. So, I'm making progress.

bkay

leonf

as Bkay said, this may not be the best idea for a rookie. It is a vibrating shuttle machine. It's shuttle and bobbins are different from what most folks use. They look like the ones in the center and left of the following pic. That said, Singer used the same design in to the 1960s so they are good machines. I take some of my VS machines for demos sometimes.

leonf

https://www.quiltingboard.com/member...38-584578.html

SueZQ from MN

Thank you all so much for the information. I was just curious about the older Singers, and never expected that my first encounter would yield a machine that was 125 years old!! I am sure that there is someone out there that would truly appreciate this treasure especially since it was priced to sell for only $5.00. I sew with my "vintage" Viking from 1973 and an Elna Supermatic from the mid 50s that was my mom's, and am not a machine collector, so whatever I might buy would be used, and I certainly wouldn't start with the model that I saw. As usual, the people here are a wealth of information and generous with their expertise. Thanks again.

J3General

I agree, sort of, with those commenting above about not making a vsm model your first vintage/antique machine; I use a very similar Singer 28 powered by a hand crank made in 1910 as my "go to" travel straight stitch machine.

I take it with me to repair dgds' clothing, dolls, etc. The hand crank aspect allows my young granddaughters to "help" me sew. I will admit I already had a ton of experience with more modern vintage Singers that take traditional round bobbins before buying a vsm model with a hand crank. Dealing with barbell-shaped bobbins and bullet-shaped bobbin cases might have been "above my pay grade" when I first started out with vintage sm's.

See if you can find a vintage Singer 99 you like to get started.

John Thomas in NC