Silverhill Forge Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Some of you may have read my recent post regarding trading up from a 2cwt Brooks to a 4cwt (unnamed but in reasonable cosmetic condition) on account of the ringing which I could just not kill! Although I will be following the advice of Dan E, who kindly suggested making a stand filled with sand. Having aborted the idea of purchasing the larger 4cwt anvil for a number of reasons, I stumbled across an anvil about an hour and a half drive from myself. Upon closer inspection of the Ebay listing, I found that the anvil was a Peter Wright, weighing in at 2-0-20 or 244lbs. The photos were pretty shocking, and the anvil looked a little worse for wear, but I took the gamble (stupid I know) and bid for it, winning it at £151/$241 dollars. The weather was quite kind here today, as we're having a touch of an Indian Summer, so myself and the wife set out from Derby, in the shire, to collect the anvil from Bradford, West Yorkshire. Upon arriving, the seller of the anvil promptly offered to sell me what I can only describe as at least a 4cwt/448lbs Double Bick Peter Wright!!!......If only I had the cash, and the vehicle to take it home I would've bitten his hand off! The guy had no idea of it's worth,and despite it's fairly poor condition, he told me that it came from a local farm, and he even had the cast iron stand with it (which was cast with a 1" high 'W' on the side). I've a good mind to go back with the company van an relieve him of his burden!! Anyways, I digress, the anvil I purchased was given the 'before and after' treatment with photos below; If anyone cares to have a stab at dating the anvil, feel free. I seem to think it's post-1910, based upon what I've read on the net. Not in the worst condition, but still needs a bit of a tidy-up! The face is nice and flat, which is a bonus I guess! You can just about see the markings on the side of the anvil, but they were ingrained with dirt and rust they just shouted 'clean me'! The finished article! Anyone have any idea what the number '3' is doing stamped down on the left-hand side foot at the front? A close-up of the side/waist showing the markings in a clearer state having given the anvil the once over. ......And finally, a bit of an 'arty' shot, with a striker I knocked up for a guy on another forum. Sorry if I've bored you with the blurb, and probably too many pics, but I had to let my joy out somewhere! I guess you guys were the victims :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Nice find!! If you can squeeze out the Money, go back and get the other one, too, before it ends up in a garden somewhere. I don't have an anvil book, but that looks like it has been around for awile. Maybe some other folks can help you date it. Good luck and happy hammering. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverhill Forge Posted October 10, 2010 Author Share Posted October 10, 2010 Nice find!! If you can squeeze out the Money, go back and get the other one, too, before it ends up in a garden somewhere. I don't have an anvil book, but that looks like it has been around for awile. Maybe some other folks can help you date it. Good luck and happy hammering. Cheers! I reckon I'm gonna' enquire about the other anvil (that's if he hasn't already put the thing on Ebay! I've not got the space in my outside shop, but it may be of some use to someone else on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Please DON"T bite the hand that feeds you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverhill Forge Posted October 10, 2010 Author Share Posted October 10, 2010 Please DON"T bite the hand that feeds you! lol! The guy said he's be in touch if he had any more. Such a solid bloke! If only shipping was cheaper, I reckon I could give some of you fellas across the pond a bit of a hand when it came to acquiring anvils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sask Mark Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Very nice looking anvil! Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverhill Forge Posted October 10, 2010 Author Share Posted October 10, 2010 The guy I bought the anvil (above) from, has already listed the other larger one. If any of you guys are curious, I've added the link: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/peter-wright-anvil-and-stand_W0QQitemZ250709229268QQihZ015QQcategoryZ112398QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zampilot Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 "Not in the worst condition, but still needs a bit of a tidy-up!" Yer killin' me, go get the other one too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverhill Forge Posted October 11, 2010 Author Share Posted October 11, 2010 I really wish I had bitten his hand off now....It's on £112 already! Can anyone shed any more light on the likely age of this beauty? Or maybe confirm/deny my interpretation of the date? Also, is the number '3' stamped on the L/H anvil (as shown in the third photo down) front foot anything of note? It seems to be in the same font to the numbers used for the weight on the side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick C Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Nice find, wtching the other anvil too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSmithBear Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Your Peter Wright anvil is PRE-1910. In 1910 the British Govt. required exports to be marked with "ENGLAND" stamped into the anvil on the same side as the name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragons lair Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Your Peter Wright anvil is PRE-1910. In 1910 the British Govt. required exports to be marked with "ENGLAND" stamped into the anvil on the same side as the name. Just a thought. Yes england had to be on "exports" about 1910. Anyone know if homeland anvils were so marked? Ken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Homeland-???? You mean made in USA? As they generally were not exported they generally are not marked as to country of origin. The London pattern goes back to the 1820's when the pritchel hole was added so there is a range between 1910 and say 1830 with a few subtle difference to indicate which end of the spectrum. However---anvils don't get a premium for age until they get into the 18th century. There are literally *tons* of 100-150 year old anvils being used in shops everyday with no consideration as to their age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sask Mark Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 I think Ken is referring to PETER WRIGHT anvils that were not exported. He is asking if the anvil was not to be exported from Peter Wright out of England, was it still stamped with 'England'? I think it's a very valid question since the stamping of 'England' is used to age Peter Wright anvils (pre 1910 vs. post 1910). This 'rule' might not apply if the anvil was never intended to be exported out of England. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 This was a factory, can you tell what will be exported when you make something and put it in the warehouse? I don't think they would take the time to go back check which anvis were marked and then get a crew to mark the un-marked ones to cover an export sale---easier to just mark them all IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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