Brand

Singer sewing machines

Isaac Singer and the lawyer Edward Clark founded I. M. Singer & Co. in New York in 1851, and Singer went on to build factories around the world. Most vintage Singers you'll find in America came from Elizabethport, New Jersey, from Clydebank in Scotland (the K models), from St. Johns in Quebec (the J models) or, for the slant-needle 301, 401A and 500A, from Anderson, South Carolina. The serial number tells you which, and roughly when, because Singer gave each factory its own letters. The company spun off its sewing business in 1986, and today Singer sits with Pfaff and Husqvarna Viking under the same owner. Whatever the model, check the bobbin case is there and the feet match the shank, because Singer used several of each.

10 models we cover.