Fatfudd

sounds like Fred! He'd jump on it in a heartbeat.

Interesting! It has the German spelling of wrought iron -wrot but is labeled USA, Fred Moore has one like it and we decided it was a transition anvil perhaps still made in Germany by Boker but labeled for the USA market or made in the USA by Boker. Anywho, a very good anvil and very rare.

I'm with Mr Frog, not only does that look like a rare anvil, it is also quite rare in terms of condition. Given what anvils are going for on ebay I think we are seeing a continued appreciation of the value of older anvils. You may be able to find one cheaper but I doubt it will be in the condition of this anvil. I would imagine that anvil won't last long.

Black Frog will ask you to take a picture of the logo and post it. He is trying to develop a data base of the different logo formats for A&H and Trenton.

Frog- I too sent them to you along with pics of all my other A&Hs

Actually that is a pretty typical face-plate weld on the bigger Arm and Hammer anvils. They didn't waste time making em pretty. My big A&H has the weight stamped on the reverse side of the anvil, not below the logo. According to Postman A&H made anvils up to 500lbs altho Black frog has one that is bigger than that. Mine is 433 lbs and is a little over 37in long. Please put in your location!

I would be concerned that the contact area between the anvil and the cement would be too small causing the cement to break down in a short period.That would be particularly true if you used the horn or tail very much.

The serial number is straight Trenton. A&H usually have the weights under the logo on the side. A rebound test between an Arm and Hammer and a Trenton would probably be indistinguishable. Both are excellent anvils. To get answers to your questions I would suggest you purchase Postman's Anvils in America. It may seem expensive but you'll be amazed at what you can learn.

Please also take a look at the Rhino anvils. They maybe a little more expensive but for a tool that lasts a lifetime or 3 the investment is small. I saw them at ABANA this year and I was totally impressed. http://www.incandescent-iron.com/rhan.html

Welcome Aboard!! You should check the rebound on both anvils before you make up your mind. The standard process to check rebound is to drop a 1" ball bearing on the face of the anvil and see if it rounds back up to nearly the height your drop it from. Most good anvils will rebound back up above 75% of the original height. A piece of railroad rail will rebound to about 50%. Read more of the old threads on IFI about checking the rebound. of lesser importance, listen to the ring of the anvil. Except for fisher and vulcan anvils the there will be a clear ringing sound with no buzzing. The problem with ringing sound alone is I have seen anvils with the top plate completely removed or replaced that had great ringing sounds.

You'll get a lot of responses to this thread! I also don't believe that any anvil manufacturer would have sold an anvil without a logo stamped on the side. That being said I do believe that logos weren't stamped deeply and were easily worn off of anvils that were heavily used. One of my larger anvils, a 433lb Arm and Hammer, has nearly all of the logo worn off. I think that $7/lb is pretty unreasonable but some folks are willing to pay any amount for really big anvils so he might get what he is asking?

Well tonight we have Forged in Fire followed by Milwaukee Blacksmith so expect prices to surge. That being said I saw the Rhino Anvils at ABANA this year and it you really want a nice anvil for a decent price folks should look there. I don't actually own one and I'm not in their employ but for the price they are pretty hard to beat!

Are you all being helpful or just sarcastic? That is a truly fine anvil and I wish it were mine.

Great purchase, you will never regret it. It will serve you well but you don't need to baby it, just don't abuse it and take the time to learn your hammer control.

I agree with Black Frog who is very knowledgeable about anvils - Its a columbian. They often used the raised letters on the opposite side of the triangle/C to indicate a weight range. it would be nice if someone compiled a list of those letters and corresponding weights. For example I have a 100lb Columbian with an M on the back side and a 90lb one with IV on the backside. So a K, as on this anvil could indicate a 110lb columbian?

George is correct, if you lived closer to me I would be trying to get you to sell both of the anvils to add to my stash. if you can, I would suggest you hold on to both of them, down the road you'll be sorry you sold one.

If you really want help please post some pictures. What you are asking is I have a truck it has 4 tires what kind is it?

Something to consider, the soderfors will always be worth at least what you pay for it or maybe more. The ductile iron anvils will never be worth as much as you pay for them. If I could, I would by the soderfors in a heartbeat if I lived closer.

Finally found the Soderfors of my dreams- Last night I picked up a 175 KG (385lbs) soderfors anvil, I have been looking for an exceptional anvil for some time not that all soderfors aren't exceptional. This one is pretty unique. Its a Bohemian - church windows in very nice condition. double stamped with the manufacturing date 1928. I have only seen a few of these and only in pictures. As expected the anvil has a super rebound. It was obviously used by a craftsman who cared for it because it has honest wear, just a little sway and only a few chips on the edges. It wasn't cheap but because of its rarity, price wise it wasn't too out of line.

Is there a sequel ?

I have a number hay budden anvils several of which are in new or near mint condition and none of the hour glass indentations are deeper than 1/4" As thomas has indicated the indentation is nearly gone on any of the HB's that have been used at all. Of the older style trenton's that I have or have owned the hour glass indentation is clearly deep as your's is.

try the ABANA forums- http://www.abana.org/resources/discus/messages/5/2852.html?1297119030

Looks like an earlier Trenton with the hourglass base and no number under the horn.

I guess it really doesn't matter as long as it has a decent rebound and can serve your purposes? Have you checked the anvil to see what kind of rebound it has? I have seen a few anvils similar to yours that were very similar but had no real way to identify them. They did have a pretty good rebound so I wouldn't dismiss them out of hand.

NOHAB made a very high quality anvil but not a very well known one. They were only imported in limited numbers and I have only seen 2 or 3. They are comparable to kohlswa, Sisco, or Soderfors. As those others they were made of cast swedish steel. I wish I had one! NOHAB Swedish Cast Steel Blacksmith Anvil. NOHAB anvils were made in Trollhättan, Sweden by Nydqvist och Holm Aktiebolag ( Nydqvist Och Holm AB [AB = Aktiebolag = Company] or NOHAB). The company was founded by Antenor Nydqvist, Johan Magnus Lidström and Carl Olof Holm in 1847 as Trollhättans Mekaniska Verkstad as a manufacturer of turbines for hydraulic power plants. In 1865, the company made its first steam locomotive and in 1912 the 1,000th locomotive steamed out of the factory. In 1916 the company was reconstituted as a limited company and became NOHAB. Obviously this company knew how to cast steel and tried their hand at making anvils.