1885 New Home "Light Running" Sewing Machine with MOP in a Full Cabinet (Updated)

  ***** New updated information and pictures!  Page down to see updated info.*****     

This sewing machine is an extremely uncommon machine.  I purchased it just two weeks ago and I don't even have it in my possession yet...but I had to share it with everyone!  It's a 1885 New Home "Light Running" sewing machine that is highly decorated with mother of pearl.  The machine is in extremely good condition.  Also the machine is housed in a very uncommon full cabinet.  The cabinet is also in good condition but looks like it could use a little cleaning.  The combination of the mother of pearl and the fancy full cabinet make this machine a top of the line offering back in 1885.  

     I spotted this machine on FB Marketplace and quickly responded to the ad.  The machine was located in Nashville, TN which is quite a long way from Western PA but it just so happens that both my mother and my sister live in Nashville.  I made a deal with the owner and also made arrangements with my sister to pick up the machine.  The deal went very smoothly and the machine is now safely in the possession of my sister.  I will probably pick up the machine within the next month or two.

The pictures below were from the FB Marketplace ad.






     The next four pictures were additional pictures the seller sent to me.  





     Finally, the following pictures were taken by my sister.  I'm very excited to add this machine to my collection and I can't wait to get my hands on it.  When I get it home I will take more pictures and share with all of you.  Follow my blog for notifications of blog updates and also please feel free to comment or ask questions!  























     Update:  This past weekend I drove to Nashville, TN to visit family and pick up this sewing machine from my sister.  When I returned to Pennsylvania I took the following pictures to document how I received the machine.  Overall the machine and cabinet are extremely nice.  The cabinet has been refinished at some point but whomever did it did a decent job.  As a result, I don't think I'm going to redo the cabinet.  The cabinet is missing it's lock striker for the coffin top lid.  In it's place, they put a round decorative disc.  I will definitely be replacing that with a lock striker so the lid will be functional.  The lid itself is missing it's "New Home" decal.  Mostly likely it was removed  when the cabinet was refinished.  I'm in the process of trying to recreate the decal.  The challenge is finding a great example of the decal to model. 

























 


    Note: When I purchased the machine I noticed a silver device attached to the treadle pedal and wheel.   At the time, I just assumed it was just some sort of device to keep the treadle wheel from moving during transport.  It turns out that it's an aftermarket device called the "Wilkinson's Rotary Treadle" that was patented in 1897.  It's a device that restricts the rotation of the treadle wheel in the wrong direction.  This allows the user to operate the pedal and always have the treadle wheel rotate in the correct direction without having to also rotate the handwheel in the correct direction to get the machine started.  Pretty cool!  It seems to be missing a screw that attaches the pedal to the rod but that shouldn't be too hard to fix.  Through some research I was able to find the patent for the device and an advertisement.  






NH




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