Early Colonial Anvil

[Indiana Flintlock]

I picked up this little anvil at a local estate auction. Weighs around 50lbs and paid $50 for it. It's been resurfaced on both the top and bottom and still has a nice rebound for such a small anvil. There is no hardy, pritchel, or markings anywhere on it. One picture is of it on top of my 129lbs. Columbus Anvil and Forging Co. anvil. It's small and interesting, and for the price I can't lose, even if I don't use it. I like the looks of early anvils and this one certainly looks the part. If only this old anvil could talk. Take a look at the pictures--what can you tell me about it? From the information I've gleaned from Anvils in America, it would seem to most likely date from the mid-18th century. What do you think?

Pictures here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11904373@N00/sets/72157629030722643/

[Bentiron1946]

Sure doesn't look like they did the hard face any favors by resurfacing it, got it a bit thin on the one side, still it will be a useful traveling anvil.

[Bigred1o1]

huh mine has the same hole in the bottom i had wondered if it was original to the anvil

[Bentiron1946]

The hole in the bottom and either end were used to maniuplate the anive as it was forged. You can't see the top hole becasue the the hard face was welded on top of the body then the hardy hole was cut in.

[Tom W]

It is an old looking forged anvil. I am not sure from the pictures, but I believe it was forged in pieces and the tail end has broken off at the weld.

[Frank Turley]

Beautiful and very old.

[Timothy Miller]

The holes are there for handling bars. These were punched to alow the anvil to be moved about wile it was forged. For more information on this kind of anvil two books come to mind.
http://www.mouseholeforge.com/
http://www.anvilsinamerica.com/

[Bigred1o1]

i have the AIA(best christmass gift of the year) book i had not realised that the round hole in the under side of the bace of the anvil was a handiling hole as well

[Willis]

I have one very similar and a friend told me they saw one just like it in the museum at Colonial Williamsburg. Yours is very old quite possible colonial era.

[Old South Creations]

does it look like the heel has been broken off? I've seen many anvils where the heel was broken off at the hardie hole (my main anvil is a Fisher with a broken heel...someone has dressed it up very nicely as a perfect 90 degree angle). Maybe there was never a hardie hole because of it's size? 50lb is pretty small.

A great little anvil at a great price! Good score!

[ThomasPowers]

I have an old Powell missing the heel as well as a 1828 William Foster missing most of the face and heel. A not uncommon occurrence for an anvil that old.

[Indiana Flintlock]

I initially thought the heel had broken off, but it does not appear that way. What gives the appearance of a heel breaking off is what looks like mushrooming on the face. It has been surfaced, but not all of the mushrooming was removed. I'll have to look at it some more, but I really don't think any heel was broken off. There is mushrooming all down one side of the anvil and I feel the heel end mushrooming is a continuation of this.

[Old South Creations]

either way, I think it's a neat little anvil. I would have bought it too!