Figuring out the value of a 'Minnesota Sewing Machine'

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Dear Helaine and Joe:I am enclosing pictures of a sewing machine once belonging to my mother. I remember hearing that she paid $30 for it when it was new. There is no date anywhere. What can you tell me about it, and what is its value? Thank you.-- J.F., Sheboygan, Wis.Dear J.F.:The brand name "Kenmore" means Sears and Roebuck to most American consumers. But before Sears started using the "Kenmore" label, it used other brand names, including "Minnesota Sewing Machine" -- the designation found on the item in today's question.The line was made for Sears by the Davis Sewing Machine Company of Watertown, N.Y., which later moved to Dayton, Ohio. Few people realize that the sewing machine has been around for a long time, and Davis started manufacturing these machines during the 1860s.By the late 19th century, the company reportedly was turning out hundreds of thousands of these helpful household devices every year. Davis probably started making machines for Richard Sears sometime in the 1890s, and Sears chose the brand name "Minnesota" because it was the name of his home state.In the early years, Sears used other trade names on sewing machines, including "Iowa," "Burdick" and "Edgemere." It also retailed sewing machines manufactured by such companies as Singer and Franklin.The name "Kenmore" first appeared on a Sears sewing machine in 1913, but this appellation was dropped in 1919 and did not resurface until 1934. After World War II, the name "Minnesota" was dropped and permanently replaced with "Kenmore."At this point, we become a little hampered. Although J.F. sent photos of parts of the instruction booklet that came with her machine, a picture of a box of attachments and a picture of the outside of the sewing cabinet, she failed to send us any actual photographs of her machine itself. This means that we do not know how fancy the decorations are on this particular machine.Some of these sewing machines could be quite elaborate, with areas of gilt and colored embellishments, and even mother-of-pearl inlay. This could impact the monetary value significantly, and without certain knowledge we are going to have to assume this is a regular model without all the decorative bells and whistles.Some "Minnesota" models came with very elaborate sewing cabinets. One unit looked like a desk with a stick-and-ball gallery around the top, a writing surface, twist column sides and elaborate raised curlicue detailing on the doors and sides.The cabinet that holds the machine in today's question is much smaller and much more utilitarian than the one discussed above. The wood is oak and has some nice raised cutouts and a top that lifts up to reveal the machine underneath. This is an OK case, but not spectacular.As for value, this second-quarter-of-the-20th-century machine appears to be a Minnesota Model "A" and has an insurance-replacement value of around $175 to $200.(Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Contact them at Treasures in Your Attic, 5201 Kingston Pike, Suite 6 - 323, Knoxville, TN. 37919. E-mail them at treasures(at)knology.net.)