The sewing machine with the foot pedal, also called a foot treadle, was invented by Elias Howe, Jr. Howe was born in Spencer, Massachusetts in July of 1819. He started out working at a textile factory.
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Honestly their not very rare, If you can get 150 to 200 if it has one of the more ornate treadle bases, and is in good working order without much of the gold leafing gone on it
Eli Stawkhand
the sewing machine impacted America and New York because if the sewing machine was never invented, we would still be at the basics of making clothes. The need for clothing was needed for soldiers during the Civil War increased the use of the sewing machine in both factories and homes.
Because of the popularity of these machines and the excellent quality, many are still in use today. The value to collectors will depend entirely on how well the machine has been maintained, and what accessories you have. From what I have seen, no one is paying much more than $100 for them, even in the best condition. There is an excellent forum for singer treadle sewing machine owners on about.com where you can find a lot of information about your machine and share ideas with other owners. See the link I have provided.
theory of sewing machine