About Singer Featherweight Sewing Machines,
Their Value, and Selling Yours
We actively buy
and help you sell on consignment Singer Featherweight Model 221 and 222 Portable Electric Sewing Machines.
How old is my Featherweight?
To date your machine look on the bottom to find the serial number.
Every machine has a unique serial number which will begin with two
letters followed by six numbers.
Singer kept good records for their production runs and you can go to their website to
find out when your Featherweight was made by matching up the serial
number on your machine with the corresponding year on their chart. Click here to
go to their site:
Singer
Featherweight Dating Chart .
What's my Featherweight worth?
The 3 most important factors in determining the value of a Singer
Featherweight sewing machine are:
1) Condition
2) Condition
and
3) Condition
How
your machine looks cosmetically is far more important to its
resale value than anything else. Nearly all Featherweights sew
well or, with minor "tune ups", can be adjusted to sew well.
Featherweights are very reliable and very straightforward to maintain.
They are not computerized or complicated. They were made to last
several lifetimes. The real indicator of value isn't whether your
machine "still sews". That it still sews is almost a given.
The important question is how good does it look. The phrase "It looks
good given its age" doesn't cut it when it comes to Singer
Featherweight sewing machines. To command top price a Singer 221
or 222 sewing machine needs
to look great "in spite of" its age.
What do you look for in evaluating a Featherweight?
If you have a Featherweight 221 or 222 you would like to sell I'm going to ask you
specific questions about its cosmetic condition, and I will ask you to
look at the machine objectively to describe these details. Look at the
amount of wear or thinning to the gold decoration, particularly on the
front edge at the "fabric path". Try to assess the degree of shine to the black
paint, and the amount of scratches or pin marks on the surface. Look closely to
see whether the clearcoat
finish is pealing or uneven or blotchy. Look carefully at the condition of the
electric cord and the footpedal. Open the lid and tell me honestly
whether the case has a musty smell. All of those factors play into
the value.
The most typical "problem" you will see in a Featherweight is loss to the
gold decal decoration that runs around the perimeter of the flat table
portion, particularly in front of and to the left and right of the
needlebar area. This is known as "fabric path" wear and is a
result of the fabric running past the front edge of the machine over and
over again as it moves along through the needle. Another common
cause of this wear to the gold decoration is from the seamstress
repeatedly placing her hands in one position on the edge of the machine, year after
year, garment after garment.
Do these cosmetic issues affect the use of the machine? Not
necessarily, but they do affect the value to the extent that they
indirectly point to more or less prior use of the machine. But
more importantly they detract from the "collector value", and many
Featherweight fanatics buy Singer 221's and 222's as much for their "display" value
as for their "user" value.
Most
people's first impulse is to say their machine "is in great condition"
but that's not detailed enough, because what you think is "great" might
be what I think is only "fair". It's like the bad driver analogy---I have
never heard anyone describe themselves as a bad
driver, but let's face it, there are lots of bad drivers. Well
there are likewise lots of just so-so looking Featherweights, so you need to look at yours with a critical eye when
describing it to me. With Featherweights (as with all antiques) it's the little details
of condition that make the big differences in value.
Here's the view of your Featherweight
I need to see if you are sending me pictures:
I need to be able to clearly see that gold decal that runs
around the base of your machine to assess its condition.
We Actively Buy
and Sell
White, Tan and Black Singer Featherweight Model 221 and 222 Portable Electric Sewing Machines.
If you have a FW you would like to sell please
contact me.
To view examples of vintage Singer Featherweight 221 and 222 sewing
machines we have previously sold and are always interested in buying be sure to visit our
Antique Sewing Machine
Past Sales Archive Pages.
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We Sell Antiques!
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We want to Help you Sell Your quality Antiques
