UNKNOWN ANVIL-my first

[crayls]

I have some good pics of my first anvil. I'll gladly send the pics. It does not say Kohlswa on it. It says "Made in Sweden" "111 LBS". and has what looks like SIS Co. Superior stamped in it.

There is what looks like an A with a horseshoe around it on the hardy (7/8) base. I'd like to send the pics to some of you and see if I can find out more about this anvil, when it was made, etc. and so on.

You can see my anvil here too:
Pictures by crayls - Photobucket

Thanks

Edited July 14, 2009 by mod07
Mispelled Kohlswa

[keykeeper]

The hardy is made by Atha Tool Co. They made hammers, tongs, swages, fullers, hardys, etc. for blacksmithing as well as tools for many other crafts and trades.

Don't know anything about the anvil, as I don't have a copy of Anvils in America yet. Someone with a copy will chime in soon, I'm sure.

Nice tools, by the way. Get busy using them!

[Sask Mark]

SISCO stands for Swedish Iron and Steel Company. They were manufactured of cast steel.


Mr. Postman, Author of Anvils in America (where I obtained this information) has only recorded 5 SISCOs as of the printing of his book, so they seem to be somewhat rare in North America. He has only seen advertisements that date to 1913 and 1914.

As well, Columbus Iron and Forge Company produced plowmaker's pattern anvils for SISCO from 1925-1927.

[Thomas Dean]

I also have a SIS CO anvil, mine weighs 127# and I like it as much as my 185# Hay Budden! It is my travel anvil and has amazing rebound, I have it chained down to rid it of the nasty ring. Well, Mr. Postman, here are 2 more you can add to the count;) You will love your new anvil, I assure you.

[crayls]

So, my anvil was made no later than 1927 ? And, with the gentleman above, there are a known total of 7 (including mine) in all of N. America ? I can't believe they'd be so rare.
So,,how do I go about finding out what it's worth ? Should I have the edges re-done so they're square ?

As to my hardy....Atha Tool Co. the man said above. How old is it you guess ? Value ?

Edited July 14, 2009 by mod07
combined posts

[Sask Mark]

There is probably no way to determine exactly when your anvil was made.

As far as I know, SISCO didn't have a dating system stamped on their anvils (like Hay budden, Trenton, Arm and Hammer, some Fishers did).

I'm sure there are more than 7 in North America. Mr. Postman documented 5 in his travels which only covered a small area of North America. He didn't even see every anvil in the area that he covered, so there is likely a few more out there.

As for the value, it is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. You might find someone who will give you $500 or more for it while someone else wouldn't give you $100 for it. Anvil values are very subjective.

I don't think getting the edges rebuilt would be worth it as very few smiths require square edges, and the rebuilding process is a fairly arduous task and will cause more damage if not done correctly.

[crayls]

Around here at farm auctions and flea mkts. the anvils you do see usually don't go for under $200. Most people want to go w/ the $X per lb. **** . Do we buy cars by the pound ? So much a lb. isn't a way to buy an avil I was told by a supposed expert.
Keep the infor coming, I really appreciate it.

Edited July 14, 2009 by mod07
language

[ThomasPowers]

It's a decent method to judge the relative worth of items of differing sizes but similar configuration---do we buy diamonds or gold by weight? Ah yes we do!

If you have two Peter Wrights in similar condition how do you judge which is the better deal---well the one that is $1 a pound is a better deal than the one that is $3 a pound no matter what the weight actually is!

Edited July 14, 2009 by mod07
reference to edited language removed