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 4: Ruling Out the 27/127, Ruling In the Model 66

Now that we've learned to figure out if a tiny Craigslist photo is of a Singer 15 or 201, we'll next turn to the model 66. The 66 was the entry-level Singer and is extremely common on my local (NYC-area) Craigslist.

The model 66's silhouette can easily be mistaken for a model 27 or 127, so the first thing we'll learn to do is rule that out. The model 27/127 has two dead giveaways that are easy to spot from many angles: 1) A silver shovel-shaped inspection plate, and 2) Dual slide plates running the entire width of the bed:

NOT a 66, as evidenced by these features.

So if you spot either of these items in any given photo, you can be sure it's not a 66. And either of those features are often visible in even the smallest, darkest photo.

Next, how do we determine if it IS a 66? If you're dealing with a large photo, the 66 has some unique lines. The top and bottom lines of the arm are both slightly curved and tapered inward, and there's that Ski Jump area that's too steep to be a model 15:

But what if you're dealing with a tiny, dark photo? When the photo is not clear or shot at a bad angle, the 66's lines can often be mistaken for both the 15 and the 201. In that case we need to rely on some other clues.

1) One thing to look for is the gold badge. On an older 66, the ones that antedate the "backtack" feature, it's mounted midway up the pillar--significantly higher than it is on a 15 or 201.

2) Another giveaway is this silver knob located to the right of the gold badge. On the older 66s that controls the stitch length.

So if you can see the little "constellation" of a silver knob right next to a gold badge, both about midway up the pillar, and you've ruled out the 27/127 you'll know you've got a 66.

However, a newer 66 that has the "backtack" feature will get rid of that silver knob and lower the location of the badge. That newer 66 will have a silver-rimmed slot (often easily discernible in small photos since it's reflective):

That silver-lined slot doesn't appear on the 15 or 201s, so you'll know you've got a 66. (It could also be a 99, but we'll get into that in the next entry.)

So, now you know what to look for: The tapered, curved lines of the arm, the gold badge right next to a silver knob, or a silver-lined slot for the stitch length.

Quiz Time: Which of the following is a 66? (Don't forget to rule out the 27/127!)

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 Now let's see how you did. You can check your answers below:

1. Gold badge right next to silver knob. 66.

2. Barely visible but again, gold badge right next to silver knob. 66.

3. Same thing, gold badge, silver knob. 66.

4. Getting the hang of this yet? Gold badge/silver knob, 66.

5. The Ski Jump is too shallow--this is a model 15.

6. There's that silver-lined stitch length plate, making this a 66.

7. Again, the Ski Jump isn't steep enough to be a 66. This is a 15.

8. There's that shovel-shaped inspection plate telling us this is NOT a 66.

9. Silver stitch length plate. 66.

10. Silver stitch length plate makes this a 66.

11. Shovel-shaped inspection plate, dual slide plates, NOT a 66.

12. A little trickier since it's a Blackside machine, but hopefully you spotted the features that make this NOT a 66.

Go on to:

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?

Part 3: Is it a 201?