German Sewing machine, please help!

Hello everyone,
This sewing machine was my grandmother’s, her father bought it after the Second World War for her.
My grandmother told me that it was German, maybe Singer, and her father paid allot for it and also gave two bulls and a carriage, which at that time was the only way to work/dig the land with. All in all, I know it was very expensive.
I remember it had a iron table, very heavy, but my father got rid of the table. As a child, I used to play under the table with the pedal, pretend drive beautiful memories ❤️. I remember it was looking better than it does today, over the years pieces have disappeared…
The sewing machine weighs about 30 kg and has a number on it 2248909 .
My mum was told that it has a very expensive metal inside it (eg. Platinum), I have never checked… is this even a possibility?
Would appreciate your opinion on it, what is the maker, anything that could give me some information on it.
@Bronwen
@Any Jewelry
@PepperAnna
Please could you tag someone whom may be able to recognise it.
I am going to keep it, this is the only thing left from my grandmother.
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Simona

 

@Shangas

 

Maybe provide a pic of the other side as well? Might help some folks make an ID

 

I have to see the machine from all angles - especially the front and sides - before I can tell you anything about it.

Just because it looks like a Singer doesn't mean it is. Loads of old sewing machines looked very similar.

A cursory glance at the photos tells me it's modeled after a Singer 15, but that doesn't mean anything without knowing for sure, what it is. The Singer 15 was one of the most-copied sewing machines ever made.



For the sake of comparison, this is a later-manufacture Singer 15 sewing machine. But this basic design was heavily copied by loads of manufacturers, especially after WWII. The Chinese, the Japanese, the Germans...they all pinched it and used it to crank out cheap machines. I have no idea why - I never considered it a particularly good model, but people gonna do what they gonna do.

What I CAN tell you about the machine, just from the photos -- apart from the fact that it's a No. 15 knockoff -- is that it is an industrial machine. It'd be used for manufacturing in a clothing factory, or something like that. It's definitely bigger than your standard household machine. I can tell by the positioning of the belt-wheel for the driving-belt.

Originally, machines like these were treadle-powered on big, heavy cast-iron treadle bases, but then they upgraded to electricity.

If the machine in its current state weighs 30kg, then it's more likely to be an industrial one. A domestic machine in that state wouldn't weigh that much.

 

Simona, you tagged me, but I am not a sewing machine expert by any means. Shangas is, so he can tell you more about it once he has seen more photos.

 

The more I look at it, the more I'm convinced this isn't a Singer. For one thing, the serial-number plate is in the wrong place.

 

Hi @Shangas,
Thank you for your reply. Yes, it is a heavy sewing machine, I remember it was sitting on a large iron cast table. My great grandfather wanted to open a tailoring shop for my grandmother, therefore it being an industrial machine makes sense.
I don’t see any name on it, below are some more photos.
I have sealed it and store it, please accept my apologies for the late reply. Took me a while to find someone to help me lift it and transport it back to the house, so I can take photos.
Any information about it would be amazing to know it’s provenance.
The myth about having a precious metal inside, is it real?
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Simona

 

Thanks for the photos.

OK, I can almost 100% say this is not a Singer. It doesn't have any Singer markings, decals, labels or anything. If it was, it would have the gold SINGER badge on the side, and also the serial-number plate on the bottom-right. Also, all the parts would be stamped with a part-number and "SIMANCO" ("SInger MANufacturing COmpany")

Sewing machines - especially light-industrial models like this, would've been used HARD back in the day - so I don't see it having any "precious metal" inside it. The closest thing to that which most machines had would've been the gold-leaf decorations, but an industrial machine wouldn't have had those.

The lever on the right side of the machine is a forward-reverse gear, so this machine is likely post-WWII, or very-late pre-war machine, and most likely German in manufacture.

I'm not sure what else I can tell you about the machine, unless you have other questions?

 

Thank you so much.
I wonder what is the best way to store it, I don’t think I will ever repair it in order to use it. All is left, are my memories as a child playing under the table, pretending to drive a car ❤️ And I can still remember the sound of it, when my grandmother was sewing, very comforting…
I remember the table had some writing on the cast iron, but I can’t remember the words.
I have been told that they have bought it from a Jewish man after the Second World War, there was a big Jewish community in Romania at the time. After the war, most have migrated to Israel, or at least were making plans to migrate. My great grandfather had a very good relationship with everyone and I think this is how he came about buying this sewing machine.
It would be nice to know the makers name if any, and if it’s worth anything nowadays (monetary value), other than my memories.
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Simona

 

Most sewing machines are not worth very much. I've picked them up for like $20.00. The ones which ARE worth money are the really fancy domestic models, which this is not.