I went back to the estate sale this morning and I BOUGHT THE MACHINE!

I'm so excited. I asked and they came down on the price to $250. I had them set it up so I could try it out. I took some fabric scraps along just for that purpose. The stitch looked very nice, small, and even. It started out running a little rough, but it hasn't been used for awhile. It really needs a good cleaning and lube job. There was a buttonholer with it and more attachments than I know what to do with.

The little manal says it is a 221-1. The copyright dates listed are from 1915 to 1938. Does anyone have any insight on how that would relate to the date the machine was made?

Thank you everyone, for your helpful comments. I will be looking into the book you mentioned, Margo. If anyone has any more advice for taking care of and using my new baby, please join in!

(doing a happy dance in MI)

If this is your first experience with the care and feeding of a Featherweight, you might be interested in Nancy Johnson-Sebro's book:

http://www.amazon.com/Featherweight-221-Portable-Stitches-Expanded/dp/0964546922/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286036998&sr=8-1

It is full of info to make taking care of your new prize easy to do yourself.

I would buy it! Even if you needed a new motor that would only cost you a 100 bucks. Go here for parts.
http://www.221parts.com/ I would definitely get the machine a good cleaning inside and a lube job.

$300 is not a bad price for a featherweight in very good condition and it sounds like it looks like it is. Do you think they would let you try it out? You might ask about it's history, (use, when it was last serviced, etc.) It also doesn't hurt to ask if $300 is firm or would they consider taking $250 for it. I'll also add that there has always been a resale market for these machines and in spite of the economy I would think you could get your money back for it if you decided later on to sell it. Good luck.

The only question you need to ask yourself would be, is it worth $300 to me? You can definitely research the machines on the internet. You can shop and bid on ebay and watch for a terrific deal but if you are comfortable with that price - go for it. It is definitely a fair price based on what I have seen in my area (NC).

This morning I went to an estate sale where they had a Singer Featherweight for sale for $300. It was bright and shiny black--really spiffy. There was a carrying case that had a top tray filled with bobbins, needles, and I'm not sure what else.

I'd like one, but didn't feel right spending the money without asking DH first. Is this a good deal?

I have no idea what to look for. I don't know how to tell the year of make or if it is a reproduction. It didn't look like it had much wear and tear on the machine itself. The case was not as spiffy looking as the machine. I didn't ask any questions.

Any advice?

Joyce in MI