Anvils R Us

[clinton]

Who has all the anvils in the bay area? Just call 1800 B-E_R_N-y
$3.78/Lb seems kinda pricey to me
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/tls/1692507273.html

[Mainely,Bob]

The wonders of capitalism.If you have the cash,cell phone with internet connection,a fast truck and time on your hands you can scoop up everything in the surrounding area.Once you do that you become the primary supplier and effectively set the rate of exchange.
Your only choices are to be faster than Berny,look at sources other than the norm,travel outside his area of operations or pay shipping.

Looks like Berny may become the anvil equivalent to OPEC in the bay area.

[Glenn]

In the Bay area, there is a 113# Hay Budden for $505. The seller says "Hay Buds are considered to be the Rolls Royce of anvils. It is a perfect size for horseshoeing, taking to the local Hammer in, or even jewelry making." The price works out to $4.47/per pound.

There is another "125 pound Muti-product horseshoe anvil, with stand" for only $600. Remember it comes with a stand for $4.80 per pound. Then there is the 100# Vulcan for $300 or $3.00 a pound.

Lots of choices including a RR anvil for $35.00 no weight listed.

[ThomasPowers]

Wow I turned down several 100 pound vulcans at school sales in Columbus OH for $75 a piece about a decade ago.

Just bought a lovely 112# Peter Wright here in NM for $1.33 a pound.

Have to be fast, money to hand and CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

[Fe-Wood]

Burney and Larry in the west, Matchless Antiques in the mid west (Michigan). Who has the markets in the east and south?

I tried to sell a barely used NC tool ferriers anvil in Sacramento for $300.00 or $2.67 a pound. It is $100 less than new and no tax. All my replies said they would rather pay the extra $140 it would take to get a new one. Am I missing something or do currently available anvils depreciate faster than NLA anvils appreciate?

[Bentiron1946]

I guess you could buy that one or order one of these anvils is close to the same weight and not worry about "Anvils 'r' Us". When the price of a used one approaches the price of a new anvil it is time to buy the comparable new one. :blink:

[evfreek]

Yeah, and so much more pleasant of an experience buying that new anvil. That anvils r us fellow is a pretty miserable guy, either on the phone or in person. I heard a lot of negative things about him from fellow blacksmiths, and one day I met him at a blacksmith conference. He looked kind of sad there, sitting with all his overpriced anvils. That is a miserable job, and it looks like you don't make too many sales or friends. Right next to him, there was a fellow who sold an 80 lb farrier's anvil for $200. I wouldn't have paid that price, but it was a bargain compared to anvils r us prices. It is a pretty sad existence driving all over California looking for underpriced anvils, chiseling down the poor seller, then sitting on them for years on Craigslist trying to make a few bucks. Much more fun to attend some of the demo's or try one's hand at the educational workshops. I never saw him again. Probably figured out that it wasn't really worth the registration/membership fee.

There was another smith in the CBA who kept trying to sell me his anvil. I considered it overpriced, since it didn't have a single decent edge to set down the stem of a leaf on. He ended up selling out to a reseller, and the anvil was back on Craigslist in 2 days, significantly marked up. I have met a lot of these fellows at garage sales. They often get the anvil 15 minutes before I get there. One of them showed up at a hammer-in and boasted about his 40 anvils and how hot steel hadn't touched a single one of them. A crowd of hostile smiths quickly gathered. I used to despise these fellows, but now they just seem kind of sad to me. Wouldn't want to be one; wouldn't want to buy an anvil from one. I will absolutely bend over backwards to avoid dealing with one of these losers. Even put up with some dirty and monotonous welding :(

[Dragons lair]

Glad to hear there is at least one more of us. I see so many 5-40 lb Blacksmiths anvils on line. I have tried to
educate these folks.(over 1000 at last count) Most are cool. I also get "ITS AN ANVIL XXXX" or It looks like an anvil so it is one(3 1/2" long) Every ball pien hammer in the world is now a blacksmiths hammer. Any rusty tool is Blacksmith made. Oh well we can only do so much.
Ken

[Alec.S]

Pricey!!!!!!!

a little too pricey...


alec :)

[Mainely,Bob]

It`s only a matter of time before we start seeing online adds for low interest anvil loans.Then the market will crash and the anvil foreclosures will start and you will be able to pick them up reasonable again.
I`d post a smiley face here but I`m not really sure if I`m kidding or not. :huh:

[chyancarrek]

"the anvil foreclosures will start and you will be able to pick them up reasonable again"


Ehh - not so much, the banks will have them all listed as short sales and will refuse to negotiate any kind of reasonable price . . .

[Bentiron1946]

Soon won't matter, it will be against the law to have a forge lite up because of global warming. It will fall under "cap and trade" legislation or some other fool regulation :angry:

[Dragons lair]

Wow I turned down several 100 pound vulcans at school sales in Columbus OH for $75 a piece about a decade ago.

Just bought a lovely 112# Peter Wright here in NM for $1.33 a pound.

Have to be fast, money to hand and CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

Thomas, Let us not forget. A decade ago how much was a new car or house? In 1955 I thought a Tbird was too much
Just wait a while till they are cheaper. Heard one went at auction for 1/4 mil last yr. Still don't have one.
Ya left out one thing. Ya gotta be first.
Ken.

[Mainely,Bob]

There recently(last week of March) was a 500# "horseshoeing"(what most up here would call a railroad anvil,tall with short horn and heel) anvil for sale in the farm and garden section of Craigslist up here.Good shape,nice face not beat up,listed for $650 then dropped to 500 a week later.Heard he sold it for $450.Said he needed tires for his Harley.

If you want to see it do a search for anvil in the F&G section of CL for Maine.Should still come up.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

It takes two to Tango. As long as sales are made at these inflated prices they will keep asking them. If everyone decided that any anvil was not worth more than X$ a pound and did not buy them at anything higher, prices would start to come down. It's that old supply, and demand thing. Prices will eventually get to a point where the market will shrink due to income needed to purchase. I don't know a lot of folks that have $$$ to toss on a hobby at this time.


Classic and muscle cars went sky high during the eighties due to investors driving the prices up with speculative purchases. Eventually prices flattened and then dropped back down. Million dollar Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwings were selling later for 1/2 that. They are back on the rise again. As to the 1/4 mil T'bird. That may have been the only surviving aluminum bodied bird that was built to compete against the Cobras. There were only two built, and #1 was wrecked. A shop where I grew up did the resto on #2. IIRC the owner bought it as a basket case for $230,000.