Model H

Etsy seems to have a Model H manual for sale and the date of publication is said to be about 1928. If that is the case, then this machine was made by Domestic and not the Davis company. The latter company went out of business in 1924 as it could not overcome the loss of its most important customer-- Sears & Roebuck.

In comparing photos, it is hard to see where any upgrades were made as the H looks a lot like the C including the placement of the letter H. The spool pin is at the rear of the machine.

From what we can see from the photos of all the machines compared so far is that they all had a variety of designs that were used on different models. This is because Sears had certain specifications that were to be included in the designs of the sewing machines they were selling.

If you get a Minnesota model that does not have the same look, it may be a machine that was sold to another Davis or Domestic retailer.

Download a Minnesota Sewing Machine Manual

Finding a manual for this model of sewing machine may be a bit more difficult than it may seem. We did not even see eBay come up in the search result and they are usually one of the top 10 results.

Some Final Words

Minnesota Treadle Sewing Machine Value

The value is quite a bit higher and we have seen prices go between $100 and $250 depending on the seller and the condition. The values we have seen are more for the A version and the value for most Minnesota sewing machines will depend if it comes with a case or a very elaborate cabinet.

One interesting bit of trivia, the sewing machine was named Minnesota simply because Mr. Sears came from that state. The name was dropped after the Second World War and replaced by the label ‘Kenmore’.

1139638 D 5 December 1908 Minnesota

1231283 D 20 October 1905 Minnesota A

1258110 D 27 April 1906 Minnesota A

1299428 D 7 September 1907 Minnesota A

1506246 D 9 December 1904 Minnesota

3652732 D 2 February 1912 Minnesota A

3655873 D 10 April 1912 Minnesota A

Model B

The model B was a little different in design. The Minnesota name was on the arm front and center but the B was placed on the body next to the hand wheel. The letter B was also placed on the middle of the top of the base beneath the arm.

One change from the model A had the spool of thread moved to the center of the top of the arm and not at the back as most sewing machines have it. What may be unique about this model is that it was powered by a Kenmore model motor. That name was not used permanently until after WW2 and was used temporarily before that era.

That does not mean the machine was a post-war product, rather it simply makes dating the model easier and to an earlier period. Davis which made the machine was out of business by 1926.