Eagle1 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I found a Soderfors anvil that is 295lb. and dated 1929.It is in mint condition and the top is dead flat.What would be a good price for it? Eagle1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 kinda like real estate...location, location, location. Cheaper on the east side than on the west side---as a rule. there are exceptions tho. Where are you located? If the seller hasn't set a price try to get it for $1per lb.(good luck on that tho! ) be prepared to pay in the 3-4 range being it's in 'mint' condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragons lair Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Just my 2 cents worth. A nice Soderfors at almost 300lbs is atleast $1000 item. As an old sweed I would pay that much. I have my H-Bs and trentons However they are not my heritage anvils. Ken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I paid $250 for a 1920's 306# Sodefors at a machine shop auction in California. Prices vary. Look for the thread true prices of anvils, it will give you an idea on what they are going for in different areas of the country. It will depend on how educated the seller is too. If he just wants to sell it, $1 a pound is a good start. That is how I purchased a 170# H-B a couple of years ago. We thought it was 175#, so that is what I offered. The seller actually said he had seen some for much more, but he thought it was silly to pay that much for an anvil. I ended up buying a truck load of smithing stuff from him that day. The main thing is what can YOU afford to pay? That will be its value to you. Not its market value. Someone else may be able to pay a lot more. But if you can only afford $295 that is all you can pay. Have your limit known before going to make a deal. When you do go over, have CASH in hand. Mr. Franklin helps to facilitate deals. I have found that when I can chat some with the seller I generally get a better price. Let him know that you are a smith, and not a collector. That way he knows that you are not looking for a deal to make more profit like a collector would. If I know someone is getting started, or is sincerely going to use something I will give them a good deal. If I know that they are going to resell, I hold firm. Times are tough in a lot of areas, and money is tight for a lot of folks. If you can get him to come up with a price first, you may do even better. He may say $200, or he may say $1,000, you never know until you ask. I just bought an old 50# anvil for $60 that was listed on CL for $100, after chatting with the seller some. He was actually surprised that anyone was still doing smithing, and he had no use for it. Don't wait too long though, if it is advertised. Someone else could snap it up. Now if the price is too high for you, don't be afraid to walk away from it. Good Luck! Show us pics if you get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Coasts are usually more expensive than the midland areas if you are in the USA, can't help you if you are in South Afica, Australia, Europe, South America or other places on this World Wide Web. If it's in decent shape and they ask me to put a price on it I'll *start* with a dollar a pound. Some will sell, some will get offended. generally if they get *really* offended they are not willing to sell for a price I'm willing to buy at anyway and so I can save the time to look for anvils I might buy! If they are not really offended they might counter offer and then I can look over the anvil's condition and haggle. Sad to say what makes me pay the most tends to be the situation of the seller: Widows, folks old and in poor financial circumstances get more of my money than dealers wanting top dollar. I still buy cheap; but have several times paid a person more than they wanted... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 In the book, "A Blacksmith's Craft: The Legacy of Francis Whitaker," Francis states, " A 150 pound, London pattern anvil has served me all my life." The anvil was a Soderfors which I was able to use when I demoed in Carbondale, Colorado. The book leaves out the brand name, however. For those interested, George Dixon is the author of the book: www.bluemoonpress.org. http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BM454 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 If for some reason you don't want the anvil let me know. I'm looking to buy a 300# or better anvil. Would never try to knock you out of it though. Just happy to see good anvils used. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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