metalanton Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I found this anvil at an auction site and am debating going to look at it. since it is a bit of a drive. I am a newbie and this will be my first anvil, so I really have no clue what I am looking at .. any input would be greatly appreciated:http://rickyoungauctioneers.com/detail.cfm?item=18155 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Looks good, kind of shaped like a Hay-Budden. Can you make a contact and ask if there are markings on the other side? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Looks like a Trenton or Hay Budden. I would lean towards Hay Budden because the seam between the plate and body is well cleaned up. It is also a nice clean anvil. That anvil is going to go for a high price. Be prepared to bid $600 ($3/lb) if you have any expectations of getting it, and that might be too low. I can see a couple excited bidders running it up to $5/lb easily. ($1000 will get you a pretty sweet NEW anvil) OTOH it might go cheap, but there is a lot of equipment and such listed at that auction. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Lodge Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 It looks like it's also welded to the stand. Not how I'd like to have it mounted, but what can you do. Make sure to bring someone with you to help load it :) I'd say it looks like a Peter Wright by the horn. My Hay Budden (170lb) horn is a lot thicker almost like a belly then this one and it's listed as 200#. And the feet look like it has a flat ledge on them which PW's seem to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalanton Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 the welded stand seems like a cosmetic devaluation of the anvil, not sure how that reduces it value, definitely not its usefulness.. although I plan on getting rid of that stand. if it is a peter wright is it worth less? hay buddens seem like one of the most sought after anvils. thanks for all the input, is there anything very distinct that I can look for to ID it when I am at the auction site? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Worthless as a Peter Wright? no. Less sought after, possibly because it is an English anvil, maybe. Valued less, it is an auction it is valued what people pay. I would be thrilled to have a 200# Peter Wright in that condition. Good point about welded. It looks like they tagged the tips of the feet good, so it is only cosmetic and easily cut with a grinder. Makes me wonder how the weight was determined. Write down Hundredweight conversion in case it is stamped. Did they weigh it stand and all or is the weight listed on the anvil, or did someone guess? There is nothing definative for size in the picture. Trenton and Hay Budden are marked in pounds on the front of the feet under the horn, and Peter Wright is marked in hundredweight on the side...the OTHER side than pictured. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I'm with Frank- Looks like a Hay Budden to me, looks like its actually a post 1908 model in pretty nice condition That is its a 2 piece with the top half being tool steel. I'd for sure ask how they determined the weight. Was it stamped on the side. If i were closer I'd be there bidding on it.. Being in Montana it isn't going to be cheap.The welded feet aren't a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I'm with JL, I've never see anybody other than Mr Wright put those flats across the front and back of each foot....Nice anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sask Mark Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I have seen Buckworths and Soderfors with flats on the feet as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Peter Wright is a great anvil---I own a couple as well as a bunch of other brands. Some people like Hey-Buddens more than PW's but I think that that's more a Ford vs Chevy thing. Now as to that one: it looks like a good anvil from one of the top tier brands and if 200# a great shop anvil that would be perfect for a working shop. Make sure that it's weight *doesn't* include the stand. I've run across more "bad weights" through auctioneer estimation than I could shake a stick at! If you go; bring a ball bearing and try to do the ball bearing test on it---face looks a bit cruddy to test, might see if they would allow you to run a hand powered wire brush across it (and across the areas usually stamped!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalanton Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 thanks for all the input, I will definitely go and try for this one and expect to bid decently high...I was hoping to get a deal but it is time for me to have a real anvil. hopefully I didn't shoot myself in the foot by advertising the anvil here! I will definitely confirm the weight too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george m. Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Good luck. I wouldn't go to that auction with less than $5-600 in my pocket. BTW, check with the auctioneer to see if there is a buyer's premium. That can sometimes come as a nasty shock. I did look to see how far it is from here to Billings. 8+ hours and I don't NEED another anvil of that size. If it had been 4 hours or less I might have at least thought about it but in the end I would have probably stayed home. Hope you are successful. Let us know how it all turns out. Unacquisitively, George M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalanton Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 well, I went to the auction with 1000$ in my pocket just in case it was the dream anvil, with every intention that it would be mine. turns out it was a peter wright with 1-2-17 on the side so 200lbs. the first thing i noticed was a small area of mig welding on one edge, maybe a 2" strip. overall the edges weren't too bad, and the top seemed pretty flat, although it did have a quite a few dents and chisel gauges on the top surface.. no surprise since it was a ranch anvil, undoubtedly being used with with cold metal, removing bearings, beating out bolts, etc. really not so bad and I would still have considered it worth bidding up to 3$ a pound just so I could finally get an anvil into my shop. then I noticed a slight wave of metal near the hardie hole.. and then reallized it was a weld going accross the top and down the side. welded and ground and patina'ed it was very subtle. apparently some meathead had done something like use a sledgehammer out on the corner of the anvil and cracked it. I saw a blacksmith acquaintance that I knew.. that was also there to bid on it, and it was something even he had overlooked... so we thought if we could get it for 1.50 a pound maybe it would be worth it, it definitely had a lot of life left in it, but it was flawed and corrupted. the bidding went quickly and was soon up to 450$... and ended there. I don't think anyone else realized the flaw, but considering it, that price seemed high. so my search continues.. thanks for all the help. sorry I didn't get any pix of the flaws, if you look at the original post and the auction site pix you can see a line going down the side where the crack was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 112 + 56 + 17 = 185 not 200 Anvils repaired well can be great, anvils repaired not so well can be trash---and it's often hard to tell if they were done well or not! Did it have a nice ring or was there still an internal hidden crack muting it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Since you are considering $1000 for an anvil, how about you look at NEW anvils. You can get a heck of a nice anvil for a lifetime with that pocket of cash. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalanton Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 I have been looking at new too. I definitely have a liking of the peddinghaus and the nimba's, any other suggestions? I really didn't want to spend a 1000 at the auction, just was hopeful that this one would have somehow been worth it. I never actually tested the ring, because I had pretty much resigned myself from this one once i saw the "repairs" . I also forgot to mention that the weld on the top was starting to crack again already. no doubt this was a very functional anvil. I just was looking for something more collectible and functional, I know it seems completely snooty for a guy that doesn't have an anvil at all, but It truly breaks my heart to think of the injustices that have been done to that anvil.... though I am sure it created some amazing things in its time too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 I have heard good comments about rhino anvils http://www.incandescent-iron.com/rhan.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalanton Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 yeah those look really nice too. any idea on price, couldn't find them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Bryan Morgan Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 I own one of the Chinese made Rhinos and am very happy with it. The 242 lb Papa Rhino. Right now, according to their webside the price is $1250 for that style and shipping is extra of course. Also the new anvils are made in the US. They helped me arrange shipping, were very very helpfull through the entire sales process. I live in Alaska, anvils are scarce as hens teeth in the interior where I am. I was very happy to get it and its a very good anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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