iromega Report post Posted December 19, 2015 (edited) Leipzig sewing machine for shoes, probably CHN MANSFELD LEIPZIG ... i can't find any information about it anywhere. Does anyone know anything about this machine ? I'm interested if it has a collection value. Edited December 19, 2015 by iromega Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TinkerTailor Report post Posted December 20, 2015 (edited) That is a really neat machine and looks quite old. I don't know its value, but you should hope all the parts are there and it works. You likely will never find parts, and it is MUCH more valuable if it is complete and works. It is here in this 1896 exposition with a bunch of other german machines.https://www.etsy.com/listing/216050880/1896-antique-engraving-of-sewing After zooming in and doing some more digging it appears that a man named Robert Kiehle showed this machine at the 1896 german exposition. He may have been the maker/designer. There is some info below the pic i posted. Here, Robert Kiehle showed column type sewing machines in 1876 in philedelphia:https://books.google.ca/books?id=q6k-AQAAMAAJ&lpg=PA104&ots=RfIrmx0Z3i&dq=Robert%20Kiehle%20sewing%20machine&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q=Robert%20Kiehle%20sewing%20machine&f=false LIkely the factory and records along with any spare parts were bombed in WWII along with the rest of the city, and if they survived they disappeared on the other side of the iron curtain. Edited December 20, 2015 by TinkerTailor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Constabulary Report post Posted December 20, 2015 Hard to tell when it has no plaque or decal. Robert Kiehle (ROKILEI) could be but also could be a Kochs / Adler, Atlas, Drossner, Mansfeld. You sometimes find similar looking machines with just a different name on it. Well, it´s worth what people are willing to pay but don´t expect big $$$. Value is higher when full functional and comes with some extra accessories and you will get even more when it comes with the original manual. Some old school leather workers may be interested or cast iron idiots like me. But when is is not working it more or less has just decorative value. There are always some nuts people out there who think the older a machine is the more value it has. Thats why you often find 100 years old machines for 700€ or so on Ebay. But watch them - they most likely will never sell. If parts are no longer available you can use the machine until something brakes and then you can keep it as boat anchor or decorative piece or you find someone who has a similar machine and he buys it for spare parts but you probably have to store if for decades until a 2nd machine shows up - somewhere. Most sewing machine collectors are just collecting domestic machine heads w/o table because most have space problems storing dozens of big industrial machines incl. the table (thats probably why you get some good $$ for the small Singer Featherweight). Well, except you live in Australia and your LW Member name is Singermania then you probably have enough space!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LumpenDoodle2 Report post Posted December 20, 2015 That is a lovely old machine, but as Constabularly says, it's only worth what someone wants to pay. I belong to a vintage sewing machine forum, and most collectors want a complete in every way possible machine. Unfortunately that usually means that these lovely machines end up scrapped. Either that or offered for silly money, where it will either sell to someone desperate to have that model, or the seller gets fed up listing it, and scraps it anyway. A lovely machine, as I said, and worth saving for it's own sake. Someone needs to give it a good home and cherish it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Constabulary Report post Posted December 20, 2015 For those who care - here are some more pictures of this machine: http://olx.ro/oferta/masina-cusut-cizmarie-ID4LWiy.html I would not pay 250€ w/o knowing it is functional. Personally and without knowing what going on with this machine I´d not pay more than 100€ but only when I have some extra play money and just for the fun to find out whats up with this machine.The mechanical system it self on this machine will most likely never brake but you never know for sure. But IF something brakes (especially the shuttle hook) the machine is dead because of the spare parts situation. Are you able to post some pictures of the shuttle hook? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iromega Report post Posted December 20, 2015 For those who care - here are some more pictures of this machine: http://olx.ro/oferta/masina-cusut-cizmarie-ID4LWiy.html I would not pay 250€ w/o knowing it is functional. Personally and without knowing what going on with this machine I´d not pay more than 100€ but only when I have some extra play money and just for the fun to find out whats up with this machine.The mechanical system it self on this machine will most likely never brake but you never know for sure. But IF something brakes (especially the shuttle hook) the machine is dead because of the spare parts situation. Are you able to post some pictures of the shuttle hook? Thank you. I am interested to buy .... it is not mine. The seller says it is functional. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Constabulary Report post Posted December 20, 2015 (edited) Don´t rely on the seller. The fact that the hand wheel is spinning and the needle bar goes up and down does not mean that the machine is sewing. Test sew it by your self or let at least the seller sew something before you pay him! Edited December 20, 2015 by Constabulary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
