Antiques Roadshow

GUEST

This is what I thought was just a model of a sewing machine that sat in my house all the years growing up. I didn't really know too much about it. I found out more recently on the discovery of this magazine here that it is, we believe, an 1855 patent model, and it was made by my great-great-grandfather. That's all I really know about it.

APPRAISER

First and foremost, it's a cast-iron sewing machine. It's been fire-gilded, which means it's got actual gold plating over it. All hand done. It was very popular to do that on the fancier machines. It keeps it from corroding and gives it a great, bright look to it. It's got a brass base, and several of the other pieces of it are machined and turned brass. It's absolutely fantastic condition. It has no major corrosion. Just a little patina, a little darkening of it, which gives it great, great character. And it was made by Thomas J.W. Robertson, which was your great-great-grandfather. Do you know where it was made?

GUEST

Well, the article here refers to him making a machine in New York, so I have to assume that is where it was. Now, the 1850s were an amazing time for the sewing machine industry. Singer Sewing Machine Company had just patented their sewing machine in 1851. Everyone wanted to cash in on that, but they couldn't infringe on the Singer patents, so they kept trying to find different ways to try to do the same thing that Singer was doing, but not copy them completely. Sure.

APPRAISER

And so this was obviously one of the attempts at it. Now, this is actually one of the most beautiful patent models I have ever seen.

GUEST

Oh, wow.

APPRAISER

I mean, the dolphin shape on it is absolutely gorgeous. None of his models ever went into production. No one ever seemed to copy any of his mechanisms.

GUEST

Right.

APPRAISER

As far as value goes on it, early sewing machines are very sought after. They are very, very collectible.

GUEST

Okay.

APPRAISER

Especially the more obscure models, the one-offs. So things like this do very well on the market. If I saw this come up at auction, I would expect to see it go for between $3,000 and $5,000.

GUEST

Wow! Wow, that's great. That's really special.