Hey all, first post here, but I've been around reading a lot of posts for awhile now. I've just started doing blacksmithing stuff in the last couple months, and I love it. So far I've just been tinkering around in my backyard using the brake drum forge design I found on here. (Picture of my forge attached) I've been using a section of railroad track and a 45lb bench press plate as a sort of makeshift anvil. Today a guy answered my want-ad for an anvil and was asking 250$ for it. The pictures are attached. He didn't know the make of the anvil but I brushed off some dust and stuff and can barely make out "Rex__" or something like that. Does that mean anything to anyone? The Anvil weighs just under 150lbs, and there aren't any cracks or major dings at all. The guy said he's had it for 25 years or so and he got it from one of his buddies who was a crane operator in the 80's. I bought it because I thought it was a pretty good deal, but I acknowledge that I don't know much about it. What do you experts think? Thanks for your help guys!

Lodestone

I'm guessing it's a Trenton, a high quality anvil made in the U.S. Sometimes the stamp on the side appeared to look like 'TREXTON' and later in their production, it seems some of the anvils were indeed stamped 'TREXTON' (potentially due to a mistake in the stamping process).

Edit: If you can get the serial number off the front of the foot someone with a copy of Anvils In America can look up the year of manufacture for the anvil.

I cleaned up the front of the foot as best I can. Some numbers are clear and some are very faded, so my best guess is this -

On the left side of the foot I can clearly see "1 5 0"

On the right side of the foot I see what appears to be a 6 digit number split by a space - "2 0 4 _ 8 6 5"

The 2 could be a 3, and the 6 could be an 8, but my best guess is 204865.

Thanks again for the help!

Lodestone

Trenton stamped the weight in pounds on the left side of the foot, so your anvil did indeed weigh 150 pounds when new.

As for the serial number, 204865 would make it manufactured in the 1941-1943 range. It couldn't be 3xxxxx because the Trenton serial numbers never went that high. If the 6 is an 8, that wouldn't change the year of manufacture.

Wow. This place is great. Thanks so much for the info! Do you think I paid a reasonable price for it or did I overpay?

Wow. This place is great. Thanks so much for the info! Do you think I paid a reasonable price for it or did I overpay?

That's a question that has no correct answer. There are too many variables to take into account to answer that. Personally, I think you did just fine. I don't think too many on this forum would argue with $250 for a 150 pound anvil.

Ok, good to know. Thanks again for all your help!

Lodestone

Can you post better pictures?

I paid $200 for a 168# Trenton that has poor edges, it is suffering from mild ranch anvil ridge back, caused by a farrier working cold shoes on it.

Do you feel comfortable with the price you paid? If yes, it was a fair deal.

Phil

Yes I can but I have to borrow my buddy's camera... I'll see if I can post some better pics tomorrow.

Thanks!
Lodestone

I spent 150 on my first anvil and had to do a week of rehab on it. With some very expensive welding rods and sevral grinding wheels! Yours looks like it's ready to use, I think you did good. TC

I would have bought it for that price. See if that guy has some tongs and other tools.

Here are some better pictures. Thanks for all the input guys!

Lodestone

That is a nice looking anvil.

Phil

That is a good deal! Now go out and use it :)