n-town433 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Hello! My father owns a Fisher anvil. Pics attached. No Eagle. Has 1950 stamp. We know that it was manufactured before the turn of the century but little else. Any info would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sask Mark Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 The '18' stamped on the foot indicaets it is roughly 180 pounds. Nice anvil! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 The date is 1950 not 1850 and the two digit number on the one foot is the weight, I can't see it real clear on my monitor so it looks like a 15 and that would be 150 pounds but whatever it is just but a zero behind it to get the approximate weight. Fishers are made of cast iron and very quiet when it comes to forging. You will not get any ringing with them like with a wrought iron anvil just a "thwack" or a "thunk", this will keep your neighbors happy as you forge and you will not destroy your hearing with the bell like ring of a wrought iron anvil. Price wise it's worth depends on where you live, in the East as little as a $1 a pound and in the West where anvils are scarce as much as $3 a pound but I think that since yours is in such good condition face wise you would be somewhere in the middle on near the high end no matter where you are located. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n-town433 Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 thanks guys, any idea what the vertical bars on the feet mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 1950 is just a baby! I sometimes work on a William Foster date stamped 1828. Age doesn't mean much to anvils till you start getting into the 1700's and earlier. Fisher's are great anvils particularly for people in suburbia or in the city as they are very quiet; I'm out in the country but a big Fisher is my pride and joy in my smithy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewed Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 The vertical bars on the feet look like casting marks. I'm just guessing here, but they may relate to certain molds or casting times. An early quality tracking system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Nice anvil. I don't own a Fisher. But that is not by choice. They are an excellent anvil, and as said before, much easier on the hearing and neighbors. Where are you located? Thanks for sharing the pix. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Look up my earlier posts on Fisher anvils to get more background on the company. Your anvil was made in 1950. It has a steel top welded to the cast iron during the casting process. The anvil is in great shape. Use it properly and you will never wear it out. If you have any other questions fire away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n-town433 Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 njanvilman (and CurlyGeorge), I am in Bucks County, PA. The anvil is currently in the Lehigh Valley, PA. Where is the F&N museum? Can I visit? Where in Trenton was Fisher & Norris? I'm familiar with the city. My father is/was certain that the anvil was made before the turn of the century. Is there any doubt that the yr of manufacture was 1950? Thanks, Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 "Turn of the century"? You mean before 2001, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javan C.R. Dempsey Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 "Is there any doubt that the yr of manufacture was 1950?"None, those holes in the feet only come from one era, and it ain't 1850. Sorry dad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 n-town, Javan is correct. FISHER did not put the mounting lugs on their anvils until 1896. And they dated most of their anvils from 1880 to their end of production. 1950 it is. I actually have a few anvils that the factory ground off the last digit and stamped in the correct year. Dating had to do with manufacture date, and also their factory warranty. The original FISHER plant was right where RT 29 runs today. Some of the state buildings parking lots are also on the site. All of this was demolished in 1961 to make way for the road and state expansion. Several square blocks of Trenton were leveled. Crossley took over production in 1962 till 1979. They were on East State St, just past the Amtrack main line overpass, on the right. They listed their address as Monmouth Ave. That building came down in 2000/2001, and today is a brick strewn lot, in a very bad part of Trenton(don't go their at night). PM me for a visit. I am in Monmouth County, off Rt 195, about 45 minutes from Trenton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I used to live in Holmdel NJ (exits 114 & 117 on the GSP); but I didn't pick up my Fisher timm 20+ years later when I was living in OH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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