If your grandma likes or liked sewing perhaps it’s a good idea to clean up your basement and look for an old sewing machine.
- Montgomery Wards Sewing Machine Parts
- Montgomery Ward Sewing Machine Serial Number Lookup Number
- Singer Sewing Machines Serial Numbers Lookup
Why? Well, because it’s possible that you own an antique sewing machine without having the slightest clue about it!
Machine Model Identification Nomenclature Model Number Years Produced SEWING MACHINES 1114 148.-72 1115 148. 1204 148.-71 1205 148.-71 1205 148.-71 1206 148.-70 1207 148.-70 1207 148.-71 1213. How old is my montgomery ward sewing machine. How old is my montgomery ward sewing machine. Click to enlarge. The age of the montgomery ward sewing machine is going to start about age 20 and grow older from there. The identification of the real age of the montgomery sewing machine can be trouble. However my search so far has discovered.
Pay special attention if someone close to you, a relative, possibly grandma worked as a seamstress or any other similar job that could have anything to do with sewing!
If it somehow happens that you find an old sewing machine but you’re not sure about its real value I’ll try to help!
I’ve already told you a little something about the beginnings of the sewing machine. You can research here and find out some basics that can be helpful in this situation.
Like with everything there are some factors that can help you determine whether your newly discovered or long ago found sewing machine is worth trouble!
Basic factors are:
- Age
- Manufacturer
- Type
- Current condition
Age factor
People mostly throw away old stuff. The same thing happens with old sewing machines.
If you were among the lucky ones and you still have an old sewing machine determine when was it made.
If it was made before the 19th century it’s considered to be an antique!
Most old, or better said older (than the 19th century), were lost! That’s why it’s hard to find them and if you find them you should know they cost a lot of money!
Manufacturers and most popular types of sewing machines
Singer machines are among the most popular and the most expensive sewing machines. That’s why I dedicated an entire article to tell you how to identify old Singer sewing machines!
Willcox & Gibbs is the company founded in the 19th century (1857). They’ve made terrific industrial machines as well as machines for domestic use!
Wheeler & Wilson is also an old company that became famous for its hem – sewing machines. They also made a machine capable of making 100 buttonholes per hour in 1860.
White is one of the most selling sewing machines in the United States, just after Singer! Their praiseworthy is the White Family Rotary sewing machine produced in the period of the 1890s – 1950s.
Condition factor
Basically, almost every old sewing machine is worth some money. The question is how much?
If you have an old machine with its original parts which is still working, you’ve hit a bullseye! This sewing machine can really be valuable.
If, on the other hand, you’ve got an old machine that doesn’t work properly, or doesn’t work at all, it can still worth something! It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s worthless! It will probably worth less than in the first case, but it will still worth something!
How old is my White sewing machine?
White sewing machines are old, produced and used since the 1800s (second half).
It’s a good thing to own this machine since it can worth much!
These machines were commonly used since the 19th to the other half of the 20th century. They were quite popular among seamstresses.
White Sewing Machine Company produced a lot of these machines in periods, from 1858 – 1880, and from 1930 – 1950.
If you own this type of machine than you probably want to know how to find out how old it is!
Search for:
- A serial number that should be written on your machine. It’s a stamped number on the outside part of the machine. Your White sewing machine has to have that number. The place can be different so make an effort and find it!
When you have the serial number go to the Husqvarna Viking page and find the option Contact Us. Check with the company about the year of production, machine’s value and everything else you want to know!
How old is my Montgomery ward sewing machine?
The identification of the real age of the Montgomery sewing machine can be trouble!
No matter you have the serial number and the seller; it can be a problem if you don’t know who made it!
Why is this? – You need to know who manufactured the machine in the first place!
Montgomery Ward Company used more than one maker. They were all well – known but they all copied each other style. The next thing that messed things up, even more, is the switch made between the old and the new company!
If you don’t know what to do, find an expert. He or she will probably ask you a manual (an instruction book). You’ll find the date on the first, or the last page.
This is the best way to determine how old your Montgomery sewing machine is and according to it what its price is!
How old is my Brother sewing machine?
Brother sewing and embroidery machines can be both mechanical and computerized. The company was started at the beginning of the 20th century and expanded a lot since that time!
They produce machines of great quality, long-lasting. The first Brother sewing machine was manufactured in 1928. In 1971, they produced their first electronic sewing machine. They are newer than for example Singer machines but still very good.
If you want the best possible answer to “how old is my brother sewing machine” is to go to their website and consult an expert!
How much is an old sewing machine worth?
I’ve already mentioned some most important factors that affect sewing machine prices. You can search them in the text above. But I think it is ok to mention them one more time.
To determine how much an old sewing machine is worth you need to pay attention to its type, age, manufacturer and condition!
If your machine is old, then it is probably worth something. You just need to find out how much!
My advice is that if it’s an old family sewing machine, you should first check with your family members if they would like to keep it or redeem it from you.
It is possible that this type of sewing machine has sentimental value and you don’t want to offend someone!
If you’ve checked with your family and no one wants it, you’re free to search for an adequate buyer!
The price really depends on the factors we’ve already mentioned. It is not grateful to talk about the exact price without knowing all the facts about a certain machine!
Perhaps your machine is very pretty but it’s not working! If you want to sell it, then you have to find a collector who is really into the looks of the machine.
If your machine is old, pretty and working you won’t have trouble selling it and at a good price!
But, if you can’t find a proper buyer, you can sell your machine parts! This is one more good way to earn some money!
Just like I’ve mentioned at the top of this paragraph, there’s always a way to sell an old sewing machine so you don’t have to worry about it!
As far as some exact price is concerned, I’ll have to tell you that it varies from approximately 20$ to 5,000$ and more.
It really depends not only on all the factors we talked about but also how lucky you are on the selling day!
How much is an antique sewing machine worth?
Now, you probably wonder what’s the difference between an old and an antique sewing machine.
We often say that ten – year – old things are old. Yup, sure they are, but not in a way to be considered antiques.
So, how to determine whether our machine is an antique?
Not just the age, but the type and manufacturer are important in determining this!
Also, some sewing machine models were produced for one period of time and then stopped being produced. Therefore the number of such machines is limited. They can’t be found at each corner.
Real fans of sewing machines pay a lot of money to own such things so if you have one of these you can cash it nicely!
If you’re not sure how to specify your machine (is it an antique or not) there are places to inquire. At these places, you can find everything you want to know and what’s probably most important for most of you the answer to how much is an antique sewing machine worth!
Search for people in your town who are possibly collectors or appraisers. They will check out your sewing machine and tell you the approximate value! This is also a good place to sell your machine!
If you don’t have anything similar you can find all the information you need on International Sewing Machine Collectors’ Society or search further on the Internet.
If you have all the necessary information (age, manufacturer, type) you won’t have problems defining the amount you are going to ask for!
The price depends on all four factors I’ve mentioned above. Your machine can be cheap and cost like 20 bucks but this happens rarely if we talk about real antiques.
Well preserved and still – functioning machines worth much more money, several hundred to several thousand dollars.
Old sewing machine brands
Today, there are many different brands of sewing machines but here I dare to abstract some of the oldest sewing machine brands.
Singer sewing machines certainly deserve to be found in the first place. These are one of the oldest and most selling models. They’ve produced their first sewing machine in 1851 (see history of the sewing machine).
The White Sewing Machine Company produced a rare Gem – brand sewing machine in 1887.
Jones & Co. made an extraordinary hand sewing machine in 1869.
Willcox & Gibbs made metal sewing machines on a wooden base. One of these machines costs around 500$.
Bernina International produced their first sewing machine in 1932 and continued its production until 1945.
How much is an old Singer sewing machine worth?
We can spend hours talking about how valuable Singer sewing machines are. They are probably the best sewing machines money can buy.
If you have an old Singer machine you can sell it no matter how old or in what condition it is.
Let’s just see some of the models and their prices. I hope you’ll find this information useful!
Like with all other sewing machines their price varies and depends on age and current condition. But, to repeat, independent on all it can be sold, it’s just a matter of price!
- Fiddle – base Singer machine from 1887 can be sold for about 50-60$
- Singer machine manufactured in 1874 is worth somewhere around 170 – 200 dollars
- Singer Model 28 can be sold or bought for approximately 300$
- Singer BZ 9 – 8 can be found for 60 dollars
- But a rare Red S Singer Featherweight is worth over 2000 dollars
It is a fact that there isn’t the exact price for the exact model. Many things influence the final price.
Montgomery Wards Sewing Machine Parts
The name can sell the machine!
But again, it can happen that you have a worthy Singer sewing machine in great shape and not being able to sell it decently! All have to fit in!
Just take the advice that you should ask around to find out if your Singer sewing machine has value and don’t go under the price. It happens quite often that people don’t inquire well and lose their money.
To get the best price, gather all the information, search the Internet well and then determine your final price! Respect that price and be patient. The buyer will find you if you don’t find him!
You see now that it’s not easy to determine the real price of an old or antique sewing machine. This article was pictured as 911 for those who want to sell their old sewing machine and don’t have the slightest clue about its possible price.
Consider everything I‘ve told you here, search for similar or even the same models of the sewing machine and then decide how much money you should ask for your antique!
While trolling through thrift shops in the Harrisburg, PA area, I found a machine that had been eluding me for years.The Montgomery-Ward Signature sewing machines were made by the HAPPY sewing Machine Company of Japan and I had been told that HAPPY made excellent machines and I wanted to see for myself.
Until last week, I had never found one in good enough condition at a price I was willing to pay. The hardest part was having to leave it in the car for the last three days of our vacation because I had no tools, cleaning supplies, or oil in the hotel room.
I was able to take the manual into the hotel room and peruse it and I noticed that this machine requires a cam to sew zig zag. I didn't notice a cam installed when I bought it and the machine came with no accessories. For the rest of our trip, I was thinking of alternatives - would a Singer 306/319 cam fit? probably not. Could I manufacture a cam from Lucite? Maybe. How would I determine the dimensions? All my worrying was in vain because when I opened the lid on arriving home, I saw the zig zag cam installed. There are other cams but I would never use them, all my sewing is straight stitch and occasional zig zag to form a buttonhole.
When I got the machine on the bench, the first problem I noticed was that the tension discs did not release when the presser bar was lifted. A quick look inside the cover showed that the tension release pin was missing. This is a bad sign because it indicates that the tension has been disassembled by someone who did not know how to reassemble it. As I would expect, none of my salvaged pins was the correct length and I had to manufacture one from a finish nail.
When I had the tension assembly removed to install the tension release pin, I noticed that there was no check spring.
I have tinkered with a lot of tension assemblies and seen very few that do not have a check spring, so I consulted the manual. Sure enough, the diagram of the machine clearly shows a check spring.
Apparently the check spring broke and the person who disassembled the tension replaced it with a slightly different spring.
The new spring was too long and pushed the tension discs beyond the slot for the thread so the thread sat behind the discs, rather than between them. I did have a salvaged check spring but had to modify it to make it fit correctly.
The motor belt slipped on startup several times but the belt was tight enough and the machine was loose enough that it should not have had that problem. Several yards of thread had wrapped around the motor pulley, lifting the belt out of the v-groove so it did not have enough contact to drive the balance wheel.
With those problems corrected, I threaded it up and tried to sew.
- On the first pass, NOTHING! The needle would not even bring up the bobbin thread. The needle bar was about 1/4' too high and the hook didn't come close to the eye of the needle to catch the upper thread.
- On the second pass, straight stitch worked fine but zig zag only made a stitch on zig, not on zag.
- Lowered the needle bar a bit more and zig worked every stitch but zag skipped every now and again.
- Finally, after the third needle bar height adjustment, zig zag and tension are both perfect.
Now to find a project to sew.
UPDATE: It turned out that the needle bar was not too high. There is a screw in the back of the needle bar
Montgomery Ward Sewing Machine Serial Number Lookup Number
The end of the screw's shaft is in the slot where the needle sits.
The purpose of that screw is to set the exact place where the needle sits in the needle clamp. I didn't notice that screw was missing and installed the needle too high up in the needle bar, giving the effect of the needle bar too high in its clamp. Fortunately, I had one of those screws in my parts bin and was able to fix the problem. Then, it was a matter of re-setting the needle bar to the correct height.
Singer Sewing Machines Serial Numbers Lookup
I apologize for the crappy photos, all my cameras are broken and I'm using my daughter's old cell phone as a camera until I find a camera I like.