She's a Beauty

Isn't she pretty?  Isn't she lovely?

I purchased this antique hand-crank sewing machine a few months back from a local church garage sale that benefited missions.  My friends who are members of the church called a few days prior to the sale to give me first dibs on the machine.  I don't own any other vintage machines, but I couldn't resist this one!

She is a Frister & Rossmann, made in Germany.  I am still researching her age.  I believe she came about after the Great War because "Made in Berlin" was not on the machine.  The plate reads:  "Manufactured in Germany by Frister Rossmann, Trade Mark FR, Sole Agent O. Quitmann, 18 City Road, Finsbury Square, London, E.C.1.  The serial number is 3735709.  Go here  and here for a little lot of background on Frister Rossmann.  Even after reading through their websites, I was still confused.  The serial numbers made no sense to me!

The machine needs a little cleaning and looks to be in working order.  When I turn the hand crank, it sounds wonderful!  I found a few instruction booklets online, but I just haven't had the time to play with it yet.  The case is in great shape, but the original key was missing.  In the machine base we found lots of the original feet, bobbins, and some very old straight pins. The tiny little bobbins still have thread on them!  

The front plate is not ornate as some others I have seen in photos.  In fact, they varied widely in decoration.  I saw many similar to her, but not just like her.

If you have a Frister & Rossman, I would love to hear all about her!