Ask Me Help Desk - Antique sewing machine

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Antique sewing machine

Hello! I found a sewing machine my grandmother used to have. I don't know what model or make it is... all the machine says is "Western" on the side of it and it has a plate on the right hand side that says "Model 300" and it has some sort of serial number E658732.

Please find a picture enclosed.

Can anyone help me?

What exactly is your question, please?

I haven't found anything on the Internet for Western sewing machines. There may be something out there, but I just haven't found it yet. A lot of times, antique sewing machines were made for a company to sell. The company who sold them would put their own name on them.

Is there any other name or information on the machine or cabinet, if there is a cabinet?

If you look down at the bottom of this page, you will see links to questions that have been about sewing machines. You might also want to click on them. There are links listed on some of the answers that can be helpful for finding information.

Also, if you type in the words sewing machine in the search function box at the top of this page, you will get even more results.

It was made my Western Electric Company.
Western Electric is best known for its telephones, here is a web site that will help Western Electric Products

Good thinking, Fr_Chuck! It could very well have been made by Western Electric even though the Electric part of the name is missing from her machine. The machines do look similar. Maybe hers is an earlier version of them.

Yes, around 1918 to the 20's, they only had western on them.
One of their early models (Not this one) was a small machine that was advertised as being able to fit into a purse ( large purse)

A lot of them have parts that are interchangeable with singer parts.

*** I was into sewing machines for almost 20 years, and had a large collection of old ones. Lost interst in them about 10 years ago.
They don't normally have a lot of great value, don't increase in value greatly, and so on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck

Yes, around 1918 to the 20's, they only had western on them.
One of thier early models (Not this one) was a small machine that was advertised as being able to fit into a purse ( large purse)

Alot of them have parts that are interchangable with singer parts.

*** I was into sewing machines for almost 20 years, and had a large collection of old ones. Lost interst in them about 10 years ago.
They don't normally have alot of great value, don't increase in value greatly, and so on.

Excellent!! Thank you! I have been trying to find out what it was... I didn't know western electric had models that only said western which is why I thought it could be an industrial machine... but then again, it was my great grandmother's and she used it for a looooong time. I was hoping it had some value to it, but I guess it doesn't. I don't have the cabinet for it, but I'm sure it will look nice as a decoration.

Thanks!

You will find it will look almost exactly like the Singer model for that same year as well as the phaff model 300. There were a few other options, but wihout sending this photo to some antique dealers, I believe I am right, I think this was a commercial model.

Now there were a few companies selling the singer under various names, and these are hard to track

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexiavizcarra

... but then again, it was my great grandmother's and she used it for a looooong time. I was hoping it had some value to it, but I guess it doesn't. I don't have the cabinet for it, but I'm sure it will look nice as a decoration.

Thanks!

Concerning the "value" of your machine...

A quote from the following link: https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/applia...ine-82594.html

Quote:

Originally by Clough

A lot of people will say that the old machines don't have much value because they keep appearing in yard and garage sales, etc.

However, some of the machines from the early era of them can be quite beautiful in the artwork on the machines themselves and also in the cabinetry work.

They can make a nice display in the home if you get creative and put some things around them that are also from the same era from when they were made. Conversation pieces.

In my home, almost every piece of furniture has a story behind it.

Your machine already has a sentimental value to you because of it's history in your family. Whether it has much monetary value depends on its condition, beauty and what someone would want to pay for it.

If it were mine, and had belonged to one of my relatives, like parents or grandparents, and it were truly an antique, which it looks like yours probably is, then I would want to hang on to it, for myself, and also for my children.