Just wanted to give you guys an update. I ended up getting it for a little over 300. That said, I did take a bit of a gamble.... When looking at it I noticed two weld marks under the horn and under the heal. the sides are smooth, with no brand marking, but i believe that is because they were ground smooth and uniform at some point. From the research I tried to do on the spot at the auction, I read that after a certain time period Trentons were actually made in two halves and then ark welded together at the factory. The video link in my second comment in this thread also shows the guys anvil having similar weld marks to mine. I figured there are two possibilities.
A: The anvil really did crack in half at some point post factory and was welded back together. I'm assuming it would have been due to being dropped, as the surface is pristine. There aren't any major dents or dings anywhere on the anvil that would support this.
B: The weld marks are from the factory and they were rough enough on the sides that it annoyed whoever owned it enough to grind them flat (or this was done at the factory for cleanup ).
I am hoping it is the later. When my steel ball bearing arrives I will do the bounce test. I also did a better ring test after I got it home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9vrjKWyCkU I did manage to locate the serial numbers it is 150 lbs and #222487
What are your thoughts? Did I jump the gun or get an ok deal? Either way I had a good time at the auction, quite an adrenaline rush.
PS The hardy hole has a piece of square tubing in it to act as a reducer. Once I knock it out the edges are crisp on it as well.