How to Find the Model Number on Antique Serial Sewing Machines

Antique sewing machines come in many types in the United States. Singer is a popular sewing machine that has retained its popularity for many years. However, Wheeler & Wilson and Grover & Baker were also sewing machines that are no longer produced. Some antique sewing machines, such as the oldest Singers, don’t have model numbers but they do have serial numbers which are similar and can be used to date the antique sewing machine.

Instructions

1. Find a Singer model number by look at the front of the antique Singer sewing machine. Find the plaque near the bottom of the machine’s body, near the hand wheel. The serial number is in the same place on the oldest Singer sewing machines as the model number, but the serial number consists only of numbers instead of letters and numbers, like later Singer model numbers.

2. Find the Wheeler & Wilson model number by looking at the right side of the antique sewing machine. Below the hand wheel is a small plate with a number on it. That is the machine’s model number.

3. Find the Grover & Baker's model number by looking underneath the antique sewing machine. On the metal bar that holds the hand wheel in place, there is a model number etched into the metal on the front side of the bar.

References

• Collectors Weekly: An Interview With Antique Sewing Machine Collector Harry Berzack
• Singer: Machine Model Numbers
• Sew A Lot: Dating Singer Sewing Machines From Serial Number