222K, a bit expensive or not?

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I have been thinking about the prices of Featherweights. This one can be bought for a bit more than most used straight stitchers. It's in nice condition and it's the freearm model and it's always more expensive.

I know the 201 cost more to make, and is in most ways a better machine to work on (because of the size). It can often be had for around £40-50 almost regardless of condition. Two weeks a go a 221K went for £150 here, it was sold within two days. A sales add for a hand crank 201 can be up for months and months. The odd thing is; it looks like Singer made more Featherweights than 201s. I don't have a complete overview, but going through a few pages on ISMACS I've noticed the 221s were turned out in batches of 10.000, the 201s in batches of 4000, both were made for over 3 decades about equally as frequent. There should in teory be more Featherweights out there than 201s?

I don't complain about the price in any way, it would cost a bit to buy a brand to 222K today, it's in good condtion and they aren't very common. They have become a gem among vintage machines.  It's about the same we have to sped to get a reasonably good sewing machine today, less than a phone or computer. I wonder if any of the other vintage models will become more popular and sougth after? From a bit of research it looks like the Featherweights didn't fetch much money until sometime in the 1990s.

[BrendaP]

My 221 has just gone to the sewing machine hospital - and I had a little chat with mechanic.  He says that featherweights are getting harder to find (in UK) because there's a company in London who snap them up and then export to America, so that might account for the higher prices which 221s and 222s attract as compared to 201s and 99s etc.

Another thing he told was that the featherweights were originally designed for curtain makers!  So that they could the machine with them to finish curtains in situ.  Hmmmm.  My DD makes curtains and I've never heard her say anything about taking unfinished curtains to a client.

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Very intersting about the curtain maker link to the Featherweight, that's new to me. I hope you machine will be put on the right kind of antibiotics and recovers quickly.

I think the main attraction of the Featherweight is the size, portablitiy and cuteness factor, and quality not the least. Thinking about it I guess it's the combination of factors, when the right person or quilt group made it their favorite it caught on lol

These old machines aren't in as plentyful supply as we might think. From all the machines made a lot of them doesn't exist any more. The British made 221s and 222s are wired for 220V, but I guess they have found a way bout it in the US. There's a lot more people around than in 1950 too. Looting out old Britain :-|

[Sewingsue]

My 221 has just gone to the sewing machine hospital - and I had a little chat with mechanic.  He says that featherweights are getting harder to find (in UK) because there's a company in London who snap them up and then export to America, so that might account for the higher prices which 221s and 222s attract as compared to 201s and 99s etc.

So if someone did have a vague hankering for a Featherweight it might not be a good idea to just think 'sometime in the future I might find the money and treat myself'?

[Acorn]

So if someone did have a vague hankering for a Featherweight it might not be a good idea to just think 'sometime in the future I might find the money and treat myself'?

My thoughts exactly.   

[Holly Berry]

This is a good website for all things Featherweight
 https://singer-featherweight.com/blogs/blog/the-standard-ge-sewhandy-early-featherweight-history

[Sewingsue]

Just had a wander round ebay. It looks as if 221s go for between £100 and £250 and 222s for min £250 and upwards.

Mind you that is probably not expensive when you look at the price of new machines.
Yes, I know the new ones do everything except cut out the pattern pieces, but you know what I mean.