"A thing of beauty is a joy forever."

[Tabonga | 2,317]

What things have you seen (or own) that are inherently impressive by just being? 

I have this little gem (which my mother gave me shortly before she died) - it isn't worth much (they made a lot of them) but the sentimental value to me is off the charts. 

It looks like a toy but it is a bona fide sewing machine.  It has a nifty little case and the machine itself is just 9" long x 7" high x 3" wide.  

It was sold under the name of Bell shortly after WWII but actually was manufactured by Messerschmidt - who realized they wouldn't have much success selling it the US directly so they went through Bell. It sold for $79.99 in 1954 (about $770 today.)  It came with a full range of attachments (for the time) and could do just about anything a full size machine could then do.

What makes this so interesting to me (besides the sentimental value) is the history of it  and the fact that it is a precision machined instrument - Germans never really mastered/understood the concept of an assembly line* (fortunately for the Allies in WWII) but they often produced the best machined widgets in the world.

 

*Up until that time in any event.

Edited May 1, 2020 by Tabonga