Dec 06, 2013 Use sewing machine oil to clean your machine. Just go over it gently with a soft cloth. There will most likely be holes scattered around on your machine. Put a drop or two of oil in all of them, turn the machine up so you can see the bottom, wipe it down to remove any crud and oil everything that looks like it moves. I think it was made by national sewing machine company. I have not been able to find a serial number, the model is RBR and on the front of the machine it says International Rotary. The machine is in a cabinet for which the front opens and there is a storage shelf in the door. I am trying to find out hold old the machine is.
- Eldredge Sewing Machine Serial Numbers For Sale
- Eldredge Sewing Machine Serial Numbers Lookup
- Eldredge Sewing Machine Serial Numbers
- Eldredge Sewing Machine Serial Numbers Website
- Eldredge Sewing Machine Serial Numbers Online
A short discussion concerning 'antique' sewing machine values,
the types of sewing machines we can help you sell & those we do and do not buy, sell, or deal in.
BELOW ARE EXAMPLES OF SEWING MACHINES
THAT WE DO NOT TYPICALLY BUY OR SELL & AN EXPLANATION OF WHY
Common Full Size Antique Sewing Machines
We do not buy, sell, or deal in most later treadle sewing machines. We never buy, sell or deal in electric sewing machines by any maker that are in pieces of furniture or cabinets. Beyond the info found below we cannot help you with them, we do not have further info on them, and can not comment on the value of specific sewing machines. Please read down the page!!
A good rule of thumb for determining the desirability of an early sewing machine (pre-1880) is its serial number. A sewing machine by any maker with a serial number of 500 or less would be considered early, desirable and pretty rare. Low serial numbers by more obscure makers would be even better. At the left is an example of a sewing machine called the Ne Plus with serial # 21. It dates from the mid 1850's. Note how different it looks from later sewing machines. To see many other examples of early sewing machines go to my Past Sales Archives on our sister website www.AntiqBuyer.com. Those are the type and style sewing machines we seek. To see more common machines keep reading.
The simple fact that your sewing machine is old / antique does not necessarily mean it is desirable or valuable to a collector.
Any sewing machine with a serial # above 50,000 would be considered 'Late' and relatively common. In other words, your Wheeler & Wilson #9, White, Singer, Domestic, Wilcox & Gibbs, etc. 'antique' sewing machine, or any other sewing machine with a serial number in the 6 or 7 digit range, is considered late and relatively common. The machine may date from 1880, and does have some value, but it would almost always be as a decorator item and not as a collectible with a steady demand and known value from sewing machine collectors.
In other words, and bottom line, common / later sewing machines are worth whatever you can sell them for. Or whatever you can get a willing buyer to pay. That might be $1000 or more, but more likely $50 or less. It boils down to how good a salesperson are you, what or who your customer base is, and the sales venue you choose.
To the right and just below are two pictures of typical looking treadle sewing machines. Note the standard looking shape or form of the main body or head on these machines. Sewing machines like this typically date from the late 1870's and up until the 1930's or later. Names such as the Standard, Jones, White, Eldredge, Domestic, New Home, Princess, Franklin, Household, Free, Westinghouse, Remington, Greybar, Minnesota, later Singer Models, and many others are examples of later machines that are generally not in great demand and thus not very desirable or valuable to a sewing machine collector.
These later sewing machines can come with a host of different names, and in general were made by the three major makers. They were sold to and distributed by companies like Sears, Montgomery Wards or other large regional distributers across the country back in the late 1800's and early 1900's. There are millions of them in circulation.
Typical treadle sewing machines like these were sold for $10-$20 and the sales approach was that every house needed one. Not just one, but a new and different one every couple years. It was like cars today. Sewing machine makers were not happy selling you one that would last a lifetime, they wanted to sell you a new one every couple of years with a different name, or different cosmetic look even if it was the exact same machine. Much like how things are marketed today with NEW written all over the label. What that means is that there were millions and millions of these machines made and sold, and many are still around. Literally every household had one - if not more. Last years model ended up in the barn attic or garage and the new one went into the sewing room. There is a near endless supply of these later common treadle sewing machines.
The main distributors of this style of machine would pick or choose whatever name suited them or their goals for that year. Hence names like Household, Favorite, Remington, Winchester, Domestic, Minnesota, Alliance, Victory, Perfection, Ajax, etc. Large companies like Sears or Montgomery Wards and other large regional distributors would also use famous peoples names in an effort to promote their sewing machines any given year. And so you can also find machines with names like Washington, Lincoln, Franklin, Edison, and others on machines that are pretty much exactly the same. At other times they picked Patriotic names like Victory, or Defiance, Alliance, or whatever. This was typical right after WWI, or the Spanish American War. The large sewing machine makers sold their standard machines to different distributers / companies to be sold as that firm's house brands---with whatever name that distributer wanted.
There is NO extra value or importance in a NAME you do not recognize on a LATER sewing machine. That you can find no published information on a later sewing machine with what seems to you to be an unusual name does not mean it is rare and valuable, it means it is so unimportant that nobody has ever bothered to write or publish anything about it.
Antique Sewing Machines with recognizable names from early inventors or companies like Wilcox and Gibbs, Wheeler and Wilson, Howe, and Singer may or may not be desirable. First models of them are good, later models are very common. It is all in the details!!
It is important to understand that it is not just the name which determines the desirability or value of antique sewing machines. It is a combination of factors, including the name, vintage or age, style, the perceived desirability / demand, and most importantly the condition, all taken together, that determine the desirability and value of any machine, early or late.
Appraisal / Valuation Information
for Later Vintage Sewing Machines
for Later Vintage Sewing Machines
These later treadle sewing machines do have a value - to someone.
I have seen appraisals for, and price tags on, common treadle sewing machines like the ones pictured and named above as high as $4,000. I have also seen them sell at auction for as low as $10. Their true value is in the eye of the beholder, be that the buyer or seller. In most cases the true value of later common sewing machines is much closer to the bottom than the top.
In the past these sewing machines were often torn apart for the stands or drawers and then sold for more as parts or as pieces of furniture than they would fetch as a whole sewing machine. Bottom line, these later typical treadle sewing machines are worth what a willing buyer will pay for them given the situation and condition. I have seen and heard of decorators (great salespeople) selling these later machines to rich clients for thousands of dollars. Good luck being able to repeat that using eBay, Craigslist, or at your yard / estate sale.
A basic rule of thumb is: If it looks like your sewing machine, or if you remember your Mom using it, or nowadays even if your Grandma bought it, or it has a serial # with six or more numbers, it will probably hold little interest or value to serious or advanced sewing machine collectors.
To see the wide range of current values for these sorts of sewing machines simply go to completed sales at eBay and type the name of your antique sewing machine in the Search window provided. If there is nothing similar there this week, try again next week, or try searching just 'antique sewing machine' or 'vintage sewing machine' or 'treadle sewing machine'. The values for machines that look alike, and look like they are from the same era, are worth pretty much the same. Changes in the number of drawers, or other cosmetic changes in a cabinet are not going to greatly change the value of an otherwise common machine.
I guarantee comparable or similar sewing machines to yours can be found looking at eBay completed sales right now. The fact that most typical 'antique' sewing machines are sitting there with no bids speaks volumes as to their demand and desirability, or lack of. It also has a lot to do with the cost of shipping and the amount shipping will add to the cost. So if you have one for sale you should consider that as well and probably be thinking local because your potential buyers will surely balk at a $200 shipping cost for an machine they would not be willing to pay $100 for.
Or look in your local antique shop, where there is likely a similar one. They may not want to buy it, even for 1/2 price, but you can tell yourself that yours is worth about the same as long as you do not ask the shop dealer what he will give you for yours.
If after reading this you are still unsure about your sewing machine's value, send me one picture, indicating that you did read and understand this page, and I will give you my opinion. If it is early and something I am interested in I will contact you and see if we can work something out. Because of the volume of emails I get, if you obviously did not read and understand what I have said on this page and ask me the value of, or information about, a later low value sewing machine I will simply delete your email or respond with something like thanks but this is not a machine for us, or something that we buy, sell, or deal in.
If you think your sewing machine is valuable you should be willing to pay a reasonable amount for a paid appraisal. I can do this for you, but you run the risk of me saying 'I think it's junk.' Or you can get past sale results from Worthpoint for FREE after you give them your CC info. You can search their database of a couple hundred million search results, and pay nothing until you see they actually have results for your machine.
If you need to find a place to get rid of your common sewing machine there is eBay, Craigslist, or a good option is donate it to your church group that helps third world countries, taking a write-off on your taxes. Or donate it to Goodwill, Hospice, or some other worthy group. As a last resort put it gently by the curb. Somebody will want it. Problem solved!
