Back to a bus tour idea - and I do hesitate to step in here because I am a comparative outsider to this group

I went with my Mom on a couple of lengthy bus tours - and they were great - all one had to do was pay and show up! There was a schedule that was fairly closely followed, so we knew what to expect.

Anyway:

Say someone in St. Paul, Minnesota has a huge collection - everyone - including the Minnesota person would gather at a central location - wherever they could get on a tour bus.

The first stop could be at the Minnesota collection - all the collection owners would have their stuff ready to look at -
then a couple of shops - then the next stop could be in Madison, Wisconsin - the next stop could be near Chicago
however it would take to loop back to St. Paul.

Depending on where the collections were located - and how long one wanted to spend looking at each collection - it could be doable. No one would have to bring anything because all the people would go to where the machines were located. If someone is a specialist about a certain type of machine, a lecture/demo could be scheduled - with an alternative shopping or activity scheduled nearby.

The bus tour place could help set up the itinerary and costs.

Is a 1954 machine old enough to be 'vintage'?

I would say pre-Touch & Sew LOL

Necchi BU?

Necchi BU doesn't have plastic parts does it?

I don't know - haven't looked inside it. The reputation is 'all metal'

And I probably wouldn't know if I did look inside.

Singer 404?

I would say Singer 404 is vintage - I love mine.

To a 30 year old a 40 or 50 year old sewing machine is antique. They are intrigued with those 1960 and 1970s machines....

There are things to be said for a machine that does not require classes to learn how to use it!

YUP you are sew right!