ckcowl

value of a vintage machine is totally dependant on your budget!
if you are in the market for a vintage machine you should set yourself a budget (the most YOU are willing to pay for one) then look until you find the right one-in your price range-
they vary in price from $25 right on up to $500+ location matters- and what a person is willing to pay-how badly they want a particular machine- if you set yourself a budget and start looking at some point you will walk into a garage- or a thrift store- or see an add---and you will know---THAT'S IT!!! THAT'S MY MACHINE! and the more you are willing to pay the better condition it should be in- with attachments- clean- working- but you need to set yourself a price limit....there are so many people now (thinking) they have a gold mine and trying to charge ridiculous prices- when you can find something better for alot less.
watch ebay- craigslist- thrift stores- antique shops- sometimes you can find a fabulous deal if you are patient and willing to wait...it took me 3 years of looking---sometimes at a great machine for a good price- i would still walk away- my hubby would assure me- you can have it if you want---and i'd just say no- that's not the machine i want---then one day i walked into a barn---and sitting there---was IT! i new right away-was so excited---would have paid most anything...looked up and asked...and the lady said (very tentativly as if asking too much) would you pay $20 for it? OMG!!! are you kidding me??? i would have paid 10 times that easy!
then i chose a whole big box of the most wonderful wool yardage---stuff with $60 a yard prices on them---i had a whole box of it---when we were getting ready to leave i said---i have this box of fabric/wools too- she said- oh that just goes with the machine! i didn't feel right about that- i knew what i had- i gave her $50 for everything...which she was reluctant to take.

so long story---
if you are patient the right (deal) will come along!

miriam

I pick up machines now and then for not too much money. Usually there is something wrong with them. I spend quite a bit of time fixing them, putting money into some of them. Bobbin winders, cords, felts, bobbins, disks, feet, foot controls, etc don't always come with a machine, need to be replaced or repaired. Sometimes it the tension or the machine is all stuck and doesn't turn. I do sell the machines for more than any $20 but I have time and money in them. At least a person doesn't have to take them to a shop to have them serviced right away.

UglyCook

A friend asked me to see if I could sell this for her. It's a 1964 Featherweight 221. After a little cleaning up, the outside looks great. Oil made her run nice and smooth and she sews nicely. Several feet and the manual are present. Cord looks ok.

HOWEVER! She's got rust on the inside. :cry: And the case does not smell so great. :cry:

My friend paid $200 and is hoping for $350. I think she paid about what it's worth.

Any thoughts?

valleyquiltermo

There was one for sale on the sale pg here on the board.
Very nice and a bit cheaper. Has the scroll face plate.
Check it out, link below. :thumbup:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-160652-1.htm

chrissyort

I got my featherweight for $153.00. I realize that I really got a good deal, but I've seen so many in the $200 range, that I wouldn't pay as high as $400. I like the idea of setting your price and then looking until you find one in that range. Good Luck.

thepolyparrot

I've been waiting and watching for a couple of years for "my" featherweight. I didn't care much about the guts of the machine - those, I can clean and repair and in the case of electrical components, replace.

But good paint and decals aren't easy (or sometimes even possible) to fix, so I wanted the machine to be in excellent condition, cosmetically. And I set an upper limit of $200.

If you want your machine to be freshly cleaned and refurbished and in perfect operating order when you get it, your upper limit can be a lot higher. $400 isn't too expensive at all for a Featherweight in this condition, especially if it comes with a full set of attachments and case. :)

I passed up a LOT of 221's, mostly because the decals were too worn. But, I also saw a lot of machines ridiculously priced for the condition they were in - some were missing the foot control and cord, some were missing all the attachments, some were missing the case.

I finally found one with paint and decals in really good condition for $200 last week. It has electrical issues and it was dirty inside, but I'm replacing all the electrical and cleaning it out, so for a total of about $350-375, I finally get to add a cute little perfectly-running Featherweight to the herd. And to top it off, it's a Centennial. :)

Don't give up. Figure out how much work you will do yourself, how much you are willing to do to it to get it restored, what condition you want it to be in and what's the highest you want to pay for it. Eventually one will show up at a price that works for you. :)

Dingle

I found mine on E-Bay last spring. I got a 1947 scroll plate for $200. The seller had listed it as a "Featherlite". I don't know if it made a difference or not, but I was the only bidder. It came with the case and feet. All the wiring looks good and just needed to be cleaned and oiled.

UglyCook

I apologize if my post came across as a solicitation. It was not intended that way. The machine pictured is not even for sale yet. My friend had asked me to help her figure out how to sell it and I was hoping from some input here after reading the very good advice people were posting about what to look for and prices.

I really appreciate all of the great information being shared here.