A sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch fabric,paper,card and other material together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. Serial number on lever plate is: 583369. The Standard Sewing Machine Company located in Cleveland, Ohio began manufacturing sewing machines in 1884. Standard was one of the many manufacturers that started up shortly after the dissolution of the sewing machine combination of Singer, Wheeler & Wilson, and Grover & Baker. In their prime the Domestic Sewing Machine Company sold everything you needed to get you sewing, from the machine to the treadle and even sewing patterns. Starting with numbers such as the Domestic Sewing Machine No 1, 2, 3 they then moved to letters model A, B, C and so on and lastly to names. If your sewing machine does not have a model number, but has a serial number similar in location to the image above, use the images below to help identify the sewing machine model number. The Singer 99k sewing machine is small in size measuring only 12-1/2' wide, this image shows an early version the 99K (99K21 - 26) made between 1924 to 1954. 'Free Sewing Machine Company.In 1895 the Illinois Sewing Machine Co was founded using assets from the former Royal Sewing Machine Co of Rockford, Illinois. Free became the president by 1910, and organized a parent company - the Free Sewing Machine Co. Production continued in Rockford until 1958, when it relocated to Los Angeles, California.
International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society
- Research
Manufacturers
If your sewing machine, accessory, or ephemera has a name on it, this is the place to start. If we don't have a listing for the name, please use the search function to see if there is any mention of it on our site.
General Information
Toy Sewing Machines
About Us - ISMACS News Magazine
ISMACS News
ISMACS News is the magazine of the International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society published four times a year for society members.
- ISMACS Membership
Joining ISMACS
The International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society is the premiere sewing machine collector's group. A quarterly magazine and access to our annual sewing machine auction are but two membership benefits.
- ISMACS Email Digest
Joining the Email Digest
The ISMACS Email Digest is the place to ask all your sewing machine questions. You will be greeted by the internet's finest people and your enquiries will be answered by leading experts.
When was my sewing machine made?
What model do I have?
Singer has recently pulled some of their dating and identification information from their website. Here you can look up your serial number and find out when your Singer Sewing Machine was made as well as what model you have.
Standard Sewing Machine Company Serial Numbers Manufacture
When was my sewing machine made?
What model do I have?
Singer has recently pulled some of their dating and identification information from their website. Here you can look up your serial number and find out when your Singer Sewing Machine was made as well as what model you have.
Standard Sewing Machine Company Serial Numbers Manufacture
ISMACS is an organization totally independent of all sewing-machine manufacturers, past or present and is not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in these pages. Please Note: Do not contact any ISMACS official in an attempt to solicit a valuation - it is not possible other than by hands-on assessment and your request will be ignored.
All rights reserved by ISMACS INTERNATIONAL, under International and Pan American copyright conventions. Reproduction or copy of this page, in any form, in part or in whole, is strictly prohibited, without prior, written permission.
Franklin Sewing Machine Serial Numbers
General Electric: Serial No. 16980.
In 1928 the Standard Sewing Machine Company was licensed by the Frederick Osann Co. to produce the Sewhandy sewing machine and when, in 1929, the Standard Sewing Machine Co. became a subsiduary of Fredrick Osann Co. production of the Sewhandy continued.
The Sewhandy was a lightweight machine weighing only 12 lbs. Designed by Richard K. Hohmann it had an aluminium bed with the electrical components being supplied by General Electric. The machine was available in a range of colours including a version labelled specifically for General Electric.
It appears there were distribution problems and in 1931 after around 7,500 machines had been produced the Standard Sewing Machine Co. and General Electric agreed that no further machines would be produced under the Sewhandy name. Instead 5,000 machines were to be manufactured for General Electric during a three month period ending September 1931. They were of an agreed design which included a revised faceplate with the GE logo and were to be marketed solely through General Electric's dealer network.
The agreement between Standard Sewing Machine Co and General Electric must have suited both companies as the machine continued to be sold under the General Electric name until 1934. During that time only minor changes were made to the machine except in 1932 when the bed was changed to cast iron resulting in an increase in weight to 15.75 lbs.
When the Singer Manufacturing Co aquired the Fredrick Osann Co. in 1934 it set up a separate company - the Ossan Corporation which produced the machine as the Sewhandy until 1938. Later Singer used the Sewhandy name for its toy sewing machines.
