It is commonly thought that Domestic made the Franklin, Minnesota A and Minnesota H for Sears up until 1924 when White puchased Domestic. I believe that King made these models from the beginning, as well as the Minnesota X. There is evidence to back up this theory on this page and in discussions on the Victorian Sweatshop forum here and here.
The following photos and chart are presented to show the models known to be made by Domestic and King in the 1910s and early 1920s. The Franklin is frequently referred to as a Singer 27 clone, so I am including a Singer 27 in the chart for comparison.
In 1911, when the Franklin appeared in the Sears catalog, Domestic was making the Domestic D. In 1913, when the updated Minnesota debuted, they were also making the Domestic Rotary. Both were fiddlebase machines with old fashioned designs. King was making their VS model which is virtually identical to a Singer 27. When Sears decided to put a Singer 27 clone in the catalog, it seems clear that King, the company they essentially owned and was already making a Singer 27 clone, would be the obvious choice to manufacture the Franklin and subsequent Minnesota models.
See Comparison photos in the chart below.
I believe it is likely that the Standard Sewing Machine Company manufactured the Domestic Rotary Type 1, Domestic Rotary Type 2 and King Rotary models as well as the Economy model sold by Sears. Standard has long been known as the maker of the Economy for Sears. Initially I thought that Domestic licensed the designs and patents from Standard. Domestic and Standard were connected through William A. Mack, who was a founder of both companies. But as more details emerged I concluded Standard manufactured the Domestic and King models.
The Standard Slim Rotary bobbin case and chainstitch spider fit the Domestic Type 1 Rotary. The Domestic Rotary Type 1 serial numbers fit in with known slim Standard Rotary serial numbers. There is one known fiddlebase Rotary labeled "Standard" that looks identical to the Domestic Type 1 Rotary and the word "Domestic" is visible through an overlaid bed decal. The manual for that Standard machine shows Domestic treadle irons with "Domestic" blanked out on the sides.
The Domestic Type 2, King and Economy Rotaries all have the same Standard patents on their bobbin cover plates and are very similar in appearance to a Standard Stout Rotary. Some even have the same mold marks, indicating they were made in the same factory. The serial numbers of all three models fit in with each other and with stout Standard serial numbers.
Initially, I wondered why Sears would have contracted with Standard for the Economy Rotary if King SMCo, which Sears owned, was already making the King and Domestic Rotaries. I think the answer is that Standard was already making the King and Domestic models. The Domestic Type 2 and King Rotary models were advertised starting in 1915. The Economy appeared in the Sears catalog starting in 1917.
See comparison photos in the chart below the VS models.
| VS Model | SN (Year) | Front | Back | Face | Inside Face | Wheel | Under | Top | Foot/Feed dogs | Shuttle carrier | Shuttle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic D | 2036103 (1909-1915) | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Singer 27 | H142473 (1906) | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| King | 141856 | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Franklin | 172473 (1911+) | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Minnesota X | 36120 (1912-13) | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Minnesota A (Photos courtesy Jo Mercer) | 293279 (pre-1921) | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Vibrator | 620830 (1915+) | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Minnesota A | 402248 (1920+) | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| New Willard | 201758 (1920+) | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Minnesota H | 13614 (1920+) | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Lessing | 439817 (1920+) | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note: Lessing normally has a back inspection plate labeled "King Sewing Machine Company" as in the last photo, courtesy of Martha Wickham.
| Rotary Model | SN (Year) | Front | Back | Face | Inside Face | Wheel | Under | Foot/Feed dogs | Hook Area | Bobbin Case In | Bobbin & Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic Rotary Type 1 | 778676D |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Standard Rotary (Photos courtesy of Carissa Jones | 778989D |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| King Rotary | 1200920K |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Domestic Rotary Type 2 | 1245723 |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Domestic Rotary Type 2 | 1337575 |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Economy Rotary (Standard) ** | 1354617 |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Standard Rotary (Photos courtesy of Gina Bisco) | 1247790 |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Domestic Rotary Type 3 |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
** Economy Rotary is included for comparison because it has the same patent dates on its slide plate as the King Rotary and Domestic Rotary Type 2.
A comparison of mold marks on the underside of the machines reveals more indications that these models were likely made by one manufacturer.
C 207 1 can be found on the following machines:
