Thanks guys, I'm glad you like it! It seems as though Monomoit was correct in another post, when it rains it really does pour anvils! I have been asking my Father-in-law for two years if he has an anvil hiding in his father's workshop somewhere. His father worked at the dump in town for many years in the 30's and 40's and brought home anything antique that came in. When I started my search for an anvil two years ago he was the first person I asked but unfortunately he did not have one.
On Thanksgiving the first thing he said to me when he walked in was "Hey, where did you get that anvil on the porch? You should have asked me, I have one just like it that's been sitting in the garage since I was a kid!" Go figure...
So I now have my second anvil only a few days after my first! (technically on permanent loan)
It's 140 lb cast iron with a tool steel top, very similar in construction and design to an older Fisher. It has a raised five pointed star cast on one side, a round notch on the rear foot area directly below the heel, and a "V" cast into the front foot area below the horn. I have id'd it as an "American Star" brand anvil from Trenton, NJ. This was confirmed by the presence of a very deep (7 or 8 inches) "tempering hole" directly in the bottom of the anvil. This was unique to American Star anvils and was a patented technique to aid in the tempering of the steel top plate I believe. American Star manufactured anvils from the early 1850's to the late 1860's. It has a pretty descent rebound but not quite as good as my William Foster, and like Fisher anvils, it does not ring which is a nice option to have in the shop.