A Visual Guide to Identifying Singers from Crappy Craigslist Photos, Part 5: Is It a 99?

Model 99, up top, is stubbier. Model 66, on the bottom, is longer.

The model 66 is a full-size machine; the model 99 is a 3/4-size machine with the same visual DNA as the 66, the same lines and curves. Identifying the model 99 by sight is fairly easy, because it's just a horizontally-squashed version of the model 66, as you can see above.

The model 99 is the only 3/4-size machine I'm covering in this series. One other 3/4-size machine you might see on Craigslist--I've only seen one once or twice--is the model 28/128. This is easily distinguishable by the shovel-shaped inspection plate and/or dual slide plates:

NOT a 99, as evidenced by these features.

So, if you see either of those indicators, you'll know it's not a 99. The 99 has a single center-mounted slide plate, as seen below:

The only way to tell if a machine is full-size or 3/4-size is to look at pictures of them over and over again. After a while you start to get a sense of "Well, that looks too 'stubby' to be a 66" and you'll realize it's a 99.

There is one other giveaway that it's a 99, which is a bit trickier to see. If you'll recall, I started this series off by telling you that this photo...

...is a model 99. How did I know? Well, look at the needlebar-containing area of the head of a typical 99:

It kind of looks like the head of a hammerhead shark.

In other words, the front part of a 99's head is symmetrical:

"A" is the same length as "B." That's unique to the 99.

Contrast that with the 66:

As you can see, the same area on the 66 is NOT symmetrical top-and-bottom. "A" is definitely shorter than "B" on a 66. It's too lopsided to resemble a hammerhead shark.

That's the only way I could tell from that tiny, crappy little photo that I was looking at a 99. The front part of the head looked symmetrical. I e-mailed the owner and she later confirmed it.

So, quiz time: Which of the following is a 99?

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 How'd you do? You can check your answers below:

1. Too long to be a 99. This is a 66.

2. It's stubby, definitely a 3/4 machine. Single slideplate says it's a 99.

3. Again, too long to be a 99.

4. Stubby and has that "Hammerhead" symmetry. It's a 99.

5. Again, stubby size plus the "Hammerhead" symmetry makes it a 99.

6. Too long and stretchy. This is a 66.

7. Stubby, and single slideplate. It's a 99.

8. Stubby, and barely visible single slideplate. 99.

9. Stubby, bu not a 99, as evidenced by the shovel-shaped inspection plate and dual slide plates.

Go back to:

Part 1: Is it a model 15?

Part 2: If it’s a model 15, what kind of 15?

Part 3: Is it a 201?

Part 4: Is it a 66?

A Visual Guide to Identifying Singers from Crappy Craigslist Photos, Part 3: Is it a 201?

In the first two parts of this series, we learned to identify model 15s. If you've ruled out the model 15, we'll next see if it's a 201 before moving on.

The 201 can often be mistaken for a 66 in bad Craigslist photos, because the silhouettes can seem similar. If the photo's high-quality, you can see the difference, as below:

201

66

But many times the photo is too small, dark or blurry to clearly see the top line. In that case, we resort to identifying a 201 based on a few things.


The first thing we'll look for is the round stitch length indicator plate in the photo below. If we've determined it's not a model 15 but it has this round plate, then it is a 201 for sure.

In this next, terrible photo, all you can see is a the round plate and a little of the pillar. So how do we know if this is a 201, or a model 15?

Well, look at the angle of the pillar line. Is it almost vertical, like on a 201, or is it raked back at an angle like the 15?

201, nearly vertical pillar line

15, raked/angled pillar line

Sometimes the photos are taken from the wrong side of the machine, so you can't see the round plate. In that case we look for this little flat piece of metal that the spool pin sits on, AS WELL AS the round inspection plate:

If you can see that flat plate for the spool pin AND the round inspection plate, it's a 201. If it's shot from the other side: If you can see that flat plate for the spool pin AND the round stitch length indicator plate, it's a 201.

The third thing we'll look for is small, white, and will usually show up even in dark photos. It's this tiny light switch:

Please note the light switch in that location only appears in the 201-2, not the 201-3. But the good thing about it is, it's usually visible even in small, terrible photos. For example, look at this one:

That little white dot is the only way I can tell this machine is a 201-2.

Okay, Quiz Time: Which of the following machines is a 201?

Also, is it a 201-2 (potted motor), or a 201-3 (belted motor)? You already know how to look for these things from reading Part 2, so once you figure out if it's a 201, looking at the motors will help you figure out if it's a 201-2 or 201-3.

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Now let's check to see if you got 'em right:

1. Not a 201. There's no round plate visible. If there was, you'd see the little silver knob and lever.

2. It's a 201-2, see the tiny light switch?

3. Also a 201-2, that tiny white dot is the light switch.

4. Not a 201, there's no flat plate for the spool pin.

5. A 201-2, it's got the round plate and the white light switch.

6. It's a 201-2. Tough to see, but you can barely make out the round plate. You also cannot see a belted motor, so you know the potted motor is hiding back there.

7. Not a 201, there's no round plate.

8. Also not a 201, there's no round plate.

9. Here's a 201-3, it's got the flat spool plate and the round inspection plate. Belted motor makes it a 201-3.

10. Flat spool plate and round stitch length plate make it a 201. You can also see tiny bump of belted motor under the leftmost arrow, making it a 201-3.

11. It's got the round plate, but the "ski jump" angle makes this a model 15.

12. No flat spool plate. Not a 201.

13. It's got the round plate and the tiny white light switch. 201-2.

I told you it would get trickier, but hopefully you're making out okay.

Go on to:

Part 4: Is it a 66?

Part 5: Is it a 99?

Or go back to:

Part 1: Is it a model 15?

Part 2: If it’s a model 15, what kind of 15?