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Dating a Fisher anvil question


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OK, I've searched the web trying to figure out when this anvil was manufactured and it seems y'all are the folks who might have the answer.
I bought this anvil in '86 at the moving sale of the fellow from whom we had purchased a 1838 plantation house property. He was the first to own the property outside of the original builder's family. SO, this anvil may, or may not have been left behind when the citified nephew sold the place to him. I didn't ask. I do know there were many other original artifacts that stayed with the property.
This appears to be a 100 lb. Fisher Norris anvil in very good condition, I thought it might have been fairly new when I bought it. Edges original, very light to no hammer marks or scars on the face or horn, except one small weld spot, still slightly raised. Some light rust pitting on the face. Eagle cast poorly in the right side and also "100" as shown. No other markings, date, branding.
I had always wanted an anvil to go along with all the other heavy as hell stuff I seem to want to move every five years or so. I am more into fine woodworking, motorcycle building and hot rodding. I use an anvil maybe once every month or so to straighten out some mangled piece of metal.
So, the question is.. Could this be a very early example? Value? If it were worth a stupid amount of money I would consider selling it and use my other more beat up 155 lb. Fisher. Thanks

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Hey Mojotoo,

Dating an anvil can be rather tricky!

First off, if you are going to give it flowers make sure they are metal AND don't make them on IT, make them on the beat up 155 lb Fisher. Where it gets really tricky is that the 155lber will get rather upset and jealous. Can't blame it really, that "thinner better looking Fisher" is difficult to compete with.

The key is to take things slow, don't rush it, remember the time period they came from, romancing the anvil takes patience and persistence. You may in fact need to spend more time with the 155lber just to get the 100lbers attention. . . just don't give up!

Caleb Ramsby

PS. That was all a joke of course. I can't help you with figuring out when it was made, but many others here can and will. Is there a number on it anywhere besided the 100?

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Caleb, I know I am a DOG! I keep the two anvils in different locations, of course. Hopefully they will never learn of the other. I really don't want to know how an anvil acts when jealous and /or mad!
No other marks other than the eagle and the "100"

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OK, I've searched the web trying to figure out when this anvil was manufactured and it seems y'all are the folks who might have the answer. I bought this anvil in '86 at the moving sale of the fellow from whom we had purchased a 1838 plantation house property. He was the first to own the property outside of the original builder's family. SO, this anvil may, or may not have been left behind when the citified nephew sold the place to him. I didn't ask. I do know there were many other original artifacts that stayed with the property. This appears to be a 100 lb. Fisher Norris anvil in very good condition, I thought it might have been fairly new when I bought it. Edges original, very light to no hammer marks or scars on the face or horn, except one small weld spot, still slightly raised. Some light rust pitting on the face. Eagle cast poorly in the right side and also "100" as shown. No other markings, date, branding. I had always wanted an anvil to go along with all the other heavy as hell stuff I seem to want to move every five years or so. I am more into fine woodworking, motorcycle building and hot rodding. I use an anvil maybe once every month or so to straighten out some mangled piece of metal. So, the question is.. Could this be a very early example? Value? If it were worth a stupid amount of money I would consider selling it and use my other more beat up 155 lb. Fisher. Thanks


Your anvil is a Crossley era Fisher, 1962 -1979. The offset mounting lugs were done some time in the 1970's; I am still trying to pinpoint the exact year. Your anvil is in very good shape with very little use.
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  • 9 years later...

I have a Fisher Anvil marked 1896.  Would this have been a smith's anvil or a farrier anvil.   Maybe 18 20 inches long.  I inheritated this anvil from a son .  He was a blacksmith for a hobby.  Am finding out he used good tools and made many.

Need to find a new home for these .   Any information would be good.   Ant ideas?

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If its a farrier's pattern; it is a farrier's anvil. If it isn't a farrier's pattern then it's a smith's anvil.  However the smaller anvils can be used by either craft pretty much interchangeably.   Farrier anvils often have a clip protrusion from the side of the cutting plate and/or two pritchel holes in the tail.  Anvils used by farriers may have symmetrical edge damage on the sides of the face.

Large farrier anvils can have a smaller width face and a larger "swell horn". (I once owned a 198# swell horn HB farrier's anvil whose face was about half the width of a 91 pound A&H anvil.)  Fisher's are known as a "quiet anvil" and do not have a loud clear ring when tapped---this is a feature and why they are especially prized by people working in cities and suburbia.  Don't let someone tell you it's wrong as it doesn't ring. They just don't know enough about anvils or are trying to pull a fast one on you to get it for less!

If you want to advertise it for sale you will need to know the weight and have pictures of the side(s) and face to show condition. (This site has a limit on the picture size it will allow you to post. Resizing them is generally easy but the methods depend on what you are using to read this forum.)

This forum has a sales site it's called "Tailgating".  Note that LOCATION is very important unless you arfe willing to pay for free international shipping to any of the 100+ countries that participate in these forums on the World Wide Web.

 

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