Just thought I'd show off my new anvil. It's a Peter Wright and weighs 220lbs even thought the numbers on the side say it should be 229lbs it's a little off. The whole thing with stump and chain is 345lbs. It has just one big chip on the top but otherwise it is in great shape. I have done a little reading on these at some point if I remember they stopped welding a plate on the top and just tempered the whole upper half? Does anyone know about this? I can't find a seam and the chip shows nothing as well but one solid mass. The pictures may not show it but the words solid wrough are in a circle and England is stamped on it as well. It has a great ring and the rebound is just as good. I did tone down the ring with that chain and some leather under the legs though.

Thanks for any input...........Scott

Very nice anvil you have there.

I think that Peter Wrights only had the wrought iron bodies with a steel face. You might be thinking of Hay Buddens that had the top half made entirely of steel starting in 1908.

Peter Wrights tended to be finished very nicely which is probably why you can't see the seam between the body and the face plate.

If I remember correctly, the author of Anvils in America believes that the U.S. manufactured anvils didn't have this high level of finishing done to them so they could be competitively priced with the well established English anvils. That is why you can generally see the seam on U.S. made anvils.

I belive the PWs had a solid wrought body (no seam in the middle) In last pic follow the top of the table back you can see the plate.
Ken

Thank you both for the information. I have posted a new picture of the other side of the anvil. This is why I thought there was no top plate because of it being so perfectly uniform. I did see the line that was mentioned in the last picture but I'm pretty sure they are marks made from the previous owner as there are several of the same on that side in other areas. That big chip is near that line and it goes down below that. I can see right into the metal and that plate is just invisible. I remember where I read that PW had started to make the top have half of steel and the bottom of wrought, not just a face lamination, it was after 1930. He quoted this out of the Anvils in America Book. I got this off of the Metalartistforum.com under a question about Peter Wright anvils.

Thanks for any input............Scott

From "Anvils in America" page 110 "This is conjecture on my part; but sometime around 1930 the Peter Wright changed to a true two piece anvil. That is they are without a face plate. I have recorded only 1 of these anvils and it was a farrier's model....Peter Wright did a wonderfull job of blending the face plate weld with the body and it is even hard to find the edge of the plate in many of the older ones."

Does yours have the word England stamped in it? (as of about 1910)

The pictures sure seem to indicate a plate to my eye---moreso than on my PW.

Why so against it having one? Great anvil either way.

Nice Anvil, darn nice. But that chain........wheres the anchor it came from? ;)

From "Anvils in America" page 110 "This is conjecture on my part; but sometime around 1930 the Peter Wright changed to a true two piece anvil. That is they are without a face plate. I have recorded only 1 of these anvils and it was a farrier's model....Peter Wright did a wonderfull job of blending the face plate weld with the body and it is even hard to find the edge of the plate in many of the older ones."

Does yours have the word England stamped in it? (as of about 1910)

The pictures sure seem to indicate a plate to my eye---moreso than on my PW.

Why so against it having one? Great anvil either way.

Thank you Thomas for clarifying that info. It does have England stamped on it and solid wrought in a circular shape. I guess I haven't seen a forge welded plate that good before on a anvil ( considering my old one) but I don't have any problem with it being there. I was curious as to it's age and not noticing what I thought was it not having a top plate, the mystery was on. Thank you for the comments, I think it's a pretty nice anvil too. I just wish I've had a chance to use it yet. This time of year is my busy season but pretty soon I'll be ringing that old anvil for hours...........thanks again, Scott

Nice Anvil, darn nice. But that chain........wheres the anchor it came from?

Thanks for the comments DennisG. Yep, it's a pretty nice anvil alright, thank you. As for the chain well, its one of two I have and they are all there, as chains go. Probably was an anchor chain at one time, their big enough. Got them at the dump one day. I have a friend that works there and he keeps an eye out for me for anything iron I could use. I bring back more than I take there sometimes............
Thanks again, Scott