Joel Castro

Don't know how I can Handel all of this. I certainly wasn't expecting an interlude of classical music puns from a blacksmithing forum. Makes this baritone wanna come out from Hayden. Get enough replies we can have our own Anvil Chorus. I think I'll tell my friends the "B" is for Baritone. Joel

Hey guys, thanks for all the info. So fascinating to learn the history of one's anvil. I'll admit it took me much longer than it should have to realize both Wile E Coyote and I have the same anvil. Ha. Frosty: unfortunately I've only had a chance to use it a few times, but the rebound is great. Once I get my own place where I can work without bothering roommates, I'll be much more active. So here's how I understand it now, this anvil is a Trenton made by Columbus Forge and Iron Co in 1904. ( thanks ChrisPTF). And "ACME" and "PHOENIX" are customer stamps indicating their distributor? As if this anvil didn't haven enough things stamped on it, I also forgot to mention there is a "B" stamped on the waist. Anyone have a clue about this? Thanks again. Joel - Super Genius ;-)

Hey folks, So I've had this anvil for over a year, and when I first purchased it could not see any identifying marks. During the winter it got exposed to rain (wind blew off tarp) and became really rusty and needed some cleaning. As I removed the rust, I started to see several visible markings, but could not initially make heads or tails of them. You can see in the photos that three of the marks overlap, making them harder to decipher. However through research and observation, I've come up with some fairly good guesses. PHOENIX WARRANTED TRENTON ACME Based on the markings of other Trenton anvils, I suspect the circular stamp says "SOLID WROUGHT" On the front foot is the following: 77 A43411 (I assume those are 4s) I assume 77 is the lbs as when I put it on the scale it came to 75lbs. I've also read that "A" could be the initial of the individual anvil maker, and that Trenton stopped marking "A" after 1920. Lastly the foot itself has an hourglass depression which I've read was common in Trentons. As I've never seen an anvil with so many markings, I am a little confused interpreting what I have. I'm assuming it's a Trenton, and while I've heard of Trenton's stamped with "PHOENIX" and "ACME", I don't know of any with all three. I'd appreciate if anyone could help clarify, and explain what exactly I have here and maybe help pinpoint a date. Thanks. Joel