After 1900 all Singers had a letter prefix before the serial number. (The letter suffix after the model number denotes where the machine was manufactured) For example, Singer model 99k serial number Y6307577. Singer has been producing sewing machines since 1851 and have been the first to offer such features as the first electronic machine and first zig-zag stitch machines. Determining if your Singer is an antique is an easy process. Machines made before 1900 are considered antiques. Machines made after after 1900 may be considered vintage.

Homeof the Sewalot SiteByAlex I AskaroffForantique and vintage sewing machinesSinger 66 & Singer 99Alex has spent a lifetime in the sewing industryand is considered one of the foremost experts of pioneering machines andtheir inventors. He has written extensively for trade magazines, radio,television, books and publications world wide.Most of us know the name Singer but few are aware ofhis amazing life story, his rags to riches journey from a little runawayto one of the richest men of his age.

The story of Isaac Merritt Singerwill blow your mind, his wives and lovers his castles and palaces allbuilt on the back of one of the greatest inventions of the 19th century.For the first time the most complete story of a forgotten giant isbrought to you by Alex Askaroff.See Alex Askaroff on YoutubeThe Singer 66& 99The 20th century sewing machineThe Singer 66 was the first massproducedsewing machine, in my opinion, that produced a near perfect stitch. Whensewing well the 66 will out-sew nearly any modern machine through a hugevariety of fabrics from linen to lace, horse blankets to buckram. It issimply near perfect engineering but this came at a price.

A Singer 66was one of the most expensive sewing machines on the market costingseveral months wages.Now let me explain, in 1916 abasic Singer 66k was £7,10s. Doesn't sound much until you find that manypeople were earning less that a pound a week.

Suddenly the machine costnearly two months wages, in today's terms, a fortune.Most sewers would opt for theSinger 17 or 27 or another make or even itssmaller twin, the Singer 99 at £6.10, but for those professional sewers who wantedmore foot clearance and space the Singer 66 was the queen. Expensive butsimply the best on the market at the time.The Singer 66 red-eye. Circa 1937Built like a watch in the largest sewing machinefactory in the worldThe 66 arrived after nearly halfa century of improvements and developments.

The mass produced machinewas introduced to the world after it first came off the production linein America in late October of 1902. After its success abroad the factoryat Kilbowie, Scotland, was re-tooled and in 1907 the first all BritishSinger model 66 sewing machines hit the market.The 66 used the smooth oscillating hook. Thehook mounted horizontally allowed the bobbin to be simply dropped intothe machine. The simplicity of threading and perfection of stitch madethe 66 an instant best seller.

The high-arm clearance and sewing abilitywas second to none. As the advert said, Built like a watch in thelargest sewing factory in the world.For those who could not affordto buy the machine outright Singer had perfected their hire purchasesystem of part payments that they had introduced back in the 1850's. Youcould buy your machine in monthly instalments at a price to suit yourpocket and pay for it from one year to 20 years.A machine for the 20th Century the new Singer 66The Singer model 66 ran from the 1902 right upuntil the model was superseded by the amazing, thatwas around1956 in America and production ran from 1907 to 1940 in Britain.Production stopped earlier in Britain as Singers re-tooled in the late1930's to help in the war effort making everything from machine gunbullets to hand grenades.

After hostilities ceased the British factorysold of the last of the old stock model 66's but never restarted theassembly lines for that model.This is a 1940 model 66 in a rare Godzilla or crinkle finishsometimes attributed to war sales.Singer crinkle finish sewing machine model 66 noreverse.One of the last Singer 66's a Centenary 1951 modelwith reverse, amazing.The later even smoother Singer 201came on line in the late 1920's but by 1950 itfinally took the place of the Singer 66. The Singer 66 was a greatmachine but the was possibly the finest Singer straightstitch ever produced.

Check out my blog on it.You can date your British Singersewing machine from this list that I put together over the years.Thesmaller stable-mate to the Singer 66 was the Singer 99 identical exceptfor size and a wonderful performer. Many women became so fond of their99's they named them. I met one who was called Merlin as it sewed likemagic.

Then there was Pavarotti, so named because the owner only paid atenner for it and another called Clackity Clara because it made so muchnoise.This is one of the very last Singer 66 sewingmachines with a serial number dating to 1950. I was amazed when DianaSwihart posted a picture of it as I had never seen the last model beforewith the added reverse similar to the Singer 99 or Singer 99k.The Singer 99 was identical tothe Singer 66 in all but size and lasted longer inproduction,running right up to the middle 1950's with almost no major changes. A reversewas added after the Second World War around 1949.

The Singer 99 was updated andmorphedinto the more modern 1950's style of the Singer 185k. Basically the same machine with a paint job. Then it disappeared as plastic multi-stitchmachines took over.Here is a little Youtube clipthat I did on the Singer which is fun.Alex Askaroff on YouTube:Fitting the slide plate to aSinger sewing machine model 99 or 66The knack of fitting the slide plateback on the Singer 66 and the Singer 99 is to do it as shown above. Ifyou find this hint useful mail me and I'll add more pictures:The British Singer 66's wereadorned with three different decals.

Firstly the Lotus petal as seenbelow. Then came the Sphinx which was also used on the Singer 15k and afew other shuttle models. In good condition both these look stunning. In Americathe Lotus patter was used for a while but the famous red-eye pattern stayed with the machine whereas in Britain theSinger 66 had three decal changes.The Singer 66k Lotus Petal decoration. Simplystunning when in good condition.The Singer 66 was sold in allformats, hand, electric and treadle. In Britain the hand machine was themost popular until electric motors became more affordable in the 1930's.The bolt-on motor cost £5.17s, two weeks wages or more in 1933.1904 Singer 66 advertI met a woman once that bought aSinger in 1926 and did not finish paying for it until 1941. She hadspent 15 years paying off her machine.

I have a little of her storyat the bottom of the page and it even includes a German bombing raid so it is greatreading.The stunning Singer 66 Red-eye sewing machine. Circa 1930Now, in America the Singer 66wore different clothes.

This was to have a huge effect on its latervalues. In America the machine became fondly known as the Red-eye forobvious reasons. The machine does look like it has exotic eyes.

Thebeautiful decoration made it sought after by enthusiasts and collectors.The Singer 66k Sphinx. Circa 1919 Similar to theSinger 15 decalsIn Britain the Kilbowie machinesstarted off with superb decoration known as the Sphinx (above) and Lotus Petalbut was soon replaced with a pretty but unimpressive basic gold decal asseen below.The last Singer 66 in a boring dress. Circa 1939with black side plate. Its days were numbered.This is a fascinating receipt sent in to me. In1914 the Singer 66 cost £11. It must have been supplied in one ofSingers fine treadle cabinets as the basic machine was only £7, 10sthen.If you think the average wage for a farmer was less than 10 shillings a week themachine represented several months wages. The cost of a new car today!No wonder they have lasted so well.By the outbreak of WWII theSinger 66 was no more in Britain and the superb stitching but mundanelookingtook over.

It was a similar size to the 66 but with greater sewingability at speed due to its modern revolving hook mechanism and worm-cutgears. Download mp3 tengkek buto. It was smooth, almost silent and unbeatable.

For the next twodecades it dominated the professional market.The True StoryAbridged.Annie Pratt, bought her Singer in the 1920's from the local Singerdealers in Plymouth. It was to make the christening gown for her firstdaughter and clothes over the years that followed. She treasured themachine and made many bits and pieces on her, always lovingly cleaningand oiling before putting her away.By 1941 the family were living in Alexandra Road in Plymouth.Plymouth is a big naval base on the South Coast of England. It is whereFrancis Drake and the British fleet sailed to attack the Spanish Armadain 1588 and where Admiral Nelson set sail to get rid of more peskyinvaders in 1805. Anyway I digress.In 1941 Britain was having a pretty bad time with German bombersdropping bombs everywhere, once more trying to invade our little islandnation. The Blitz was not just on London where my English family were but covered many industrialtowns as well.One day a German bomber droppedincendiary bombs over Plymouth. She dived under an apple tree along herroad as the bombs hit.

She looked up to see her house on fire as the oilbombs spread burning oil over the rooftops.Annie ran along the road into her burning home and pulled out her mostprecious item, her Singer. She came out of the house with the arm of hercoat on fire but clutching her machine.

After 15 years ofhire-purchase payments she was not going to let anyone get her machine!Luckily she only had minor burns on her hands. She sewed on hermachine, now called Lucky, for many more years before passing it on.Can you imagine todayrushing into your burning home just to grab your sewing machine! That'sdedication.Her fullstory is in my book,Most of us know the name Singer but few are aware ofhis amazing life story, his rags to riches journey from a little runawayto one of the richest men of his age. The story of Isaac Merritt Singerwill blow your mind, his wives and lovers his castles and palaces allbuilt on the back of one of the greatest inventions of the 19th century.For the first time the most complete story of a forgotten giant isbrought to you by Alex Askaroff.Fancy a FREE funny read:Good morning Alex,I liked your website and found the history of the various modelsfascinating. The machines pictured are works of art as well as works ofclever engineering. As my Singer 66 sewing machinehas sewn hundreds, if not thousands of miles over the years, the decalshave faded and worn where the fabric has rubbed over them but it isstill priceless.Yours sincerelyElsa UnklesHello Alex,In researching the age and history of my Singer 66, I stumbled acrossyour site.

Well Sir, I must say I have thoroughly enjoyed readingthrough your pages and have been totally glued to my computer screen forhours! It has just been lovely little journey this afternoon while Ihave been.er.ahem. ‘researching’Best regards, and thank you,Trudi Burns, AustraliaMr. AskaroffOnce the shop lights came on I could see the unmistakable Red Eyepattern of the decals, through all the dust and grim. I didn't know thesignificance of of the model, until I started researching it, and foundyour website.Max Shaver Jr.Great site Alex,Well done mate.Mike, AusThe Singer 15k in 1916 cost£15,10s.

Exactly the same as the Singer 66. The machines were the SingerCompanies top sewing machines. This beauty in the cabinet cost an extra£2, another two weeks wages! D rop me a line and let me know what you thought:Sir Sewlot, protector of the Sewalot SiteHi Alex,Just wanted you to know that we very much enjoyed yourhard work and info on the Singer 66 historyand related stories.This weekend we acquired a well used but in decent shape Singer 66-1 andwent out on the internet to find more info. You were the first place wevisited and loved the ads and pics.Thank you very much!

We were pleased to know the important value thismachine was to previous owners (the price of a new car!) and plan totake very good care of it.Best Regards,Pat & Ron NusplSandy Hook, Manitoba, CanadaThank you soooo much for your pic of how to put in the bobbin cover onmy 99k. This machine saw little use in the 1956 era as my mother unlikemy Grandmother was not a seamstress. I had the machine serviced and wasagog to find the plate taped in place. As one would think it might bethe wrong part ordered a new one. I was aghast to find it also did notSEEM to fit. I was about to return with a scathing email when Iconsulted your web site.

I had been used to using a Singer featherweight which the cover slides to the left. The new part is very stiffbut I am sure with time I will manage. After your article I am now onthe hunt for a 66. It is neigh to impossible to get a lovely straightstitch as I see on the old linens( especially German).

I sew on vintagefabric and wish to give the best possible look.thanks so much for all the info I am in your debt.Nell Herring-WebberCONTACT: Copyright ©.

Serial numbers on Singer sewing machines manufactured prior to 1900 have numbers only. After 1900 the machine serial numbers have a single or two-letter prefix. This table will tel you the age of machine that have serial numbers starting with two letters.The late 50's and early 60's are referred to the golden age of sewing machines, not because of any one particular ground breaking model, although there were a few, but because of the incredibly high sales for any and all machines. Every company that was involved in their manufacture thrived during this time period, as the insatiable need for sewing new clothing and repairing old clothing outstripped demand. The resale value for must sewing machine made around this time are not as valuable as they look, however, don't get me wrong. Who's to know what the future trends will become.