Gotta love the person(s) who organized that decal set for the ISMCS. Labor of love.
Humbabella
Does anyone have the photoshop skills to make a pimped sewing machine?
They’re already pretty fancy! Look at that decal set posted by jerwin
Handed down from my gram this 221 has to be about 70 years old, is in regular use, and still going strong!
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That looks in amazing condition. The little scratches and scrapes are pretty typical, but the stickers being in such good condition are uncommon. The ones by the handwheel in particular rarely look that nice. With some basic oiling and maintenance, that machine will run forever. The good thing about Featherweights as I mentioned before is they have kind of a cult following and there’s a really healthy secondary and aftermarket for those machines and their parts. You can replace most any part (other than screws – they were before standardization and are all custom – you want to be very careful that you don’t lose any).
I’m assuming that’s a “centennial” badge which was put on machines made between 1948-1952 although the serial number will tell you for sure. If you unscrew the cover on the bottom, you can get the # from there. That being said, check the badge. If it says “Golden Gate Exposition” on it then congratulations, you’ve won the lottery as those are incredibly rare and sell for thousands of dollars.
ETA: That machine is currently in reverse mode, so make sure you move that lever on the right downward before you sew anything 
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It’s a regular Centennial, and has always been kept in its case when not in use, so relatively few scuffs and scratches. I would be loathe to part with it, anyway, I love this little machine.
ETA @ficuswhisperer - Yup, it is in reverse; my bad habit is to leave it there after I backtack.
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That’s great, a really well taken care of machine for sure.
FWIW, I highly recommend this book:
It basically covers everything you can ever want to know about operating, maintaining, and repairing that machine. It’s a little pricey at ~$40 but worth every penny in my opinion. I’ve used my copy extensively over the years for everything from basic maintenance, to disassembly, to troubleshooting challenging tension issues. The author used to work for Boeing as a technical illustrator and all of the diagrams are top notch.
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I found a PDF somewhere years ago that has exploded views of the workings and maintenance tips. The only repair it’s needed as far as I remember was an easily fixed loose electrical connection in the foot pedal. But thanks for the link. 
ETA @ficuswhisperer
Found them!
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I have a depression era Singer 301 slant-foot machine that’s still going strong. Someone will have to pry it from my cold dead hands, if they want to take it from me.
It does one thing, really well.
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according to this, page, the 301 came out in 1951.
I’m told that it’s very fast.
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Thanks! I didn’t know most of that. I bought it at a thrift store years ago, and I’m not a particular enthusiast. I just like my machine.
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The telephone number is a nice touch!
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My grandmother had one like this, and my uncle continued to use it for most of his life, so it probably saw 90 years of use.
Pro tip: If you inherit one of these, check the drawers before selling it. I found some non-sewing-related family heirlooms that I would not have wanted to lose.
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You know that’s one of mine, right?
(it’s the untagged version for a contest site, 7th pic down.)
check the tire.
@chgoliz - thanks!
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and if you do sell it, check for a “puzzle box” which will add to the value.
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I do now. Nice one!
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oh god look at it 
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OMG ILUSM. omg this whole discussion is giving me life but THIS PICTURE.
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My daughter now has one like this - it was my grandmother’s, non-working since the 1970s, but still beautiful as a TV stand, which was it’s job until the kid claimed it. She swears she’s going to fix it when she has time.
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