Posted 3 months ago
Barbrn1002
(2 items)
Wondering if anyone cal tell me how old this might be…. I inherited it from my father, he from his mother. I don’t know a whole lot about it. Does it hurt the value if it has been refinished?
Thanks!
My Singer Sewing Mschine | ||
| Tennessee123.'s loves3 of 180 |  |  |
Looks quite old due to the cover on top. Don't have time to look up the serial # but do not refinish it.
Hi, Barbrn1002. :-)
So you have a Singer Vintage Sewing Machine (VSM) that's been in your family for at least three generations now. Very cool. <3
CW user fortapache is right in that refinishing something like this can harm its value. Antique experts and most antique lovers are adamant that antiques should not be refinished.
However, to my mind, it would depend on what the owner intends to do with it.
If an owner wants to sell it, then they shouldn't refinish it. On the other hand, if they want to keep it in the family, and display it in a place of pride in their home, refinishing it might not be a bad thing. A lot of times, the original finish is unsightly and messy.
However, to my eye, the finish on your cabinet looks good, albeit rather light, so reading in between the lines, it may have already been refinished, yes?
Let's identify this machine.
I can't see the entire sewing machine head, so I can't be sure which Singer model it is, but you've supplied a good picture of the serial number, and that will give us the probable year of manufacture.
What I see:
10948639
Per the no-prefex Singer serial number table at the International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society (ISMACS) website, that would date it to 1892:
10,630,000 11,338,999 1892
https://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/serial-numbers/singer-no-prefix-serial-numbers.html
The decoration looks like what collectors refer to as the Sphinx or Memphis decal set, which per the singersewinginfo dot com website was used on both models 27 and 15:
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/decals/decal12
Right now, I'm leaning towards the Singer model 27, because I can see the shuttle bobbin winder in front of the Singer medallion badge, e.g.:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Singer.Model27.TreadleTable.jpg
However, I'd really appreciate it if you would edit your post and replace two of your existing pictures with other ones.
The first picture of the serial number is a definite keeper, as is the fourth one of the entire cabinet front, so the ones I'd recommend replacing are the second and third.
What I'd really like to see is one picture of the full front of the sewing machine head and another of the full back of the sewing machine head.
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/285089-help-for-vintage-sewing-machines
Once we can see the full front of the sewing machine head, we can determine the model using this tool:
https://www.sandman-collectibles.com/id-singer-machines.htm
Your 'coffin top ' treadle cabinet looks like this one:
http://needlebar.org/main/singercabs/treadles/11/index.html
I spy one of the prized puzzle boxes sitting on the left-hand top of the cabinet table.
The puzzle box was an invention of John Griest, the sewing machine attachment wizard. Here's the patent:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US397980A/en
The interior of the puzzle box and the attachments therein varied depending on the model of sewing machine head:
http://needlebar.org/main/puzzles/index.html
Below is a summary of what we know so far for people who don't like to read verbose descriptions. };-)
MANUFACTURER: Singer
SERIAL NUMBER 10948639
AGE: Circa 1892
SEWING MACHINE HEAD MODEL: TBD
CABINET MODEL: Coffin Top Extension Leaf Five Drawer Cabinet Table
ACCESSORIES: Griest puzzle box, style and contents TBD
In poking around, I see that this post was preceded by an older one of the same sewing machine:
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/314297-i-inherited-this-from-my-dad-when-he-pas
So, yes, the cabinet has been refinished, but we're still waiting on full front and back pictures of the sewing machine head (the cast iron body of the sewing machine installed in the cabinet).