It never gets old! Crazy anvil seller thread

[FieryFurnace]

This beats all I've seen!

 

Granted, this is a VERY VERY VERY nice anvil! There isn't a smith in the entire country who wouldn't be proud to own an anvil in this condition, but almost $10.00 on the pound is a little pricey, even for an antique anvil in this condition.

 

By comparison, a 400 pound TFS single horn, is currently running almost $2000. Brand new!  

 

This guy wants $5000 for a 500-pound Peter Wright. Like I said, it's in great condition, but c'mon! It's just not worth that.

http://knoxville.craigslist.org/atq/3460539451.html

 

 

[CHPerdue]

That is about the right price for a NOS PW of that size. If you adjust for infation and if it one the last anvils out of the PW factory.Gold was 17.00 an OZ. This morning Gold was 1700+ an oz. I'm 63 years old and have never seen the US dollar is worth less than the Canada dollar, think about what that means.

HH

CH

[Timothy Miller]

Honestly that is the most pristine (of any weight) PW I have ever seen.  I would feel bad working on it.

[FieryFurnace]

That is about the right price for a NOS PW of that size. If you adjust for infation and if it one the last anvils out of the PW factory.Gold was 17.00 an OZ. This morning Gold was 1700+ an oz. I'm 63 years old and have never seen the US dollar is worth less than the Canada dollar, think about what that means.

HH

CH

 

By inflation perhaps, but you can't charge double what the current market brings for a tool.

 

 

Same here Timothy! If I was crazy rich and stupid with money, I might buy it just for bragging rights. :D

 

I wouldn't have any problem paying $4-5 a pound for that anvil in that condition. If I had the spare change!

[njanvilman]

I am a FISHER guy, but I would love to own that anvil.  But I will not.  If I was a PW collector, I would buy it even at that price.  Think of it as an investment.  I doubt it would ever go down in value except if it was in a hot fire or damaged in some way.

[njanvilman]

If you think about what something like that would cost to have made, it gets more reasonable.

[Bob S]

 I'm 63 years old and have never seen the US dollar is worth less than the Canada dollar, think about what that means.

HH

CH

 

I thought about it for a while but nothing happened :rolleyes: . What do you think it means?

 

Maybe privately.

 

Bob

[yesteryearforge]

All things considered I think that is a very fair price

[WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith]

David, you must be feeling better.

[HWooldridge]

You know what, I don't believe he's asking enough. I think it's worth at least 25 grand...now, who's up for $100 a lb? Sheesh, what will we hear next?

[njanvilman]

I think that we have to get away from the $/lb model and consider the object for what it is.  A pristeen, probably NOS PW anvil, that happens to be about 500 lbs. 

 

What would the cost of the Mona Lisa be; maybe about $1,000,000,000/lb or more.

[FieryFurnace]

njanvilman:

All tools are certainly an investment! Agreed! I'd even consider the price of the anvil as a tool being worth more than as a collector's piece. It would certainly be very high to have one custom made.

 

I definately believe it's worth more than your average PW, because of it's condition. However, I still contend that you can only charge what the market will pay. Are there any PW collectors out there that have the cash to pay for something like this, plus shipping or travel expenses to get it to wherever they are?

 

LOL Yes Wayne! Feeling much better. My voice is still not 100% back but it is getting stronger ever day. I've been active and in the shop. Sorry I missed you the other day.

[Pug}{maN]

if you all keep saying these are worth lots of money they will just keep going up in price , lets keep it at 2 or 3 dollers a pound can we ? i dont care what it is if it ant gold plated it ant worth 5000

[Judson Yaggy]

Tens of thousands MORE wood working hobbyists than blacksmiths in the USA, and a lot of them pay between $2k and $5k for a table saw.  To keep things in perspective we simply have a less popular obsession so our stuff has historically been cheaper.  The popularity of blacksmithing is growing thou, so demand for tools increases.  

 

I feel that with an anvil and time I could make a table saw, so the value of an anvil to me is greater than that of a Delta Uniasw.  

 

How much do people pay for a pickup truck these days?  If someone were to buy a used instead of new truck they could probably afford 3 or 4 $5k anvils.  Or a used Ford sedan versus a new pick up would fund an entire semi-pro shop.  That anvil price is steep, and twice what a new anvil costs, but all things considered not outrageous.  We are just accustomed to picking up valuable tools for almost free at the scrap yard or grandparent's farm.  

[yesteryearforge]

How much per pound do you sell or try to sell your ironwork for ?

[Fatfudd]

For me Its hard to say what something like that anvil is worth.  I admit I have paid more than I should have because I wanted something and I knew I'd never see another one.

If I were a PW collector I'd be drooling over that anvil and be trying to figure out how to get it. You'll probably never see another 500 lb. NOS.

Compare it to this one which has been for sale for a while and would also be nice to own.

http://reno.craigslist.org/tls/3351120044.html

[VaughnT]

Considering the rarity of the piece, I don't have any doubt in my mind that it's worth 5k or more.  The odds of you finding another PW in such fantastic condition, literally as-new-fresh-the-foundry, are very slim.  

 

Is it a great general shop anvil for a production shop?  Sure.  But one errant hammer blow that chips those pristine edges will take if from as-new to used..... and there's a big difference between those two conditions.

 

Remember, you can buy a brand new anvil that's every bit as good as an old PW or Trenton or Fisher, but you cannot buy a brand new PW, Trenton or Fisher.  And that makes the difference.

[Frozenforge]

It is a pristine piece of history but bottom line is it is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it! Im sure if he is patient he will find a buyer, hopefully a museum or someplace where it can be viewed and appreciated for what it represents.

[Crunch]

I wouldn't have the guts to swing a hammer at it...and that's a good thing!

 

[brianbrazealblacksmith]

If it were a 500 pound Peter Wright that was in mint condition then it would be worth over 5,000 dollars.
I does not look like a new Peter Wright to me. It looks like a Laurel Machine and Foundry cast anvil to me. The shape of the horn is what I noticed first and the low step.

[clinton]

Looks like he has it chained up to the front porch, you wouldn't want someone to walk off with it now.

Some more pictures would be nice to help identify if it is what he says. Brian brings up a good point it does not look like a Peter Wright.

[Sask Mark]

It does have a picture of a stamping in the ad that shows Peter Wright.  

[brianbrazealblacksmith]

It sure does. I didn't look at the green square at first. The horn on that anvil does not have the classic cone shape of most Peter Wright anvils I've seen. The horns on most PW's is what I like about PW's. I don't care for that bullet shaped horn on that anvil that reminds me of Laurel Machine and Foundry anvils. If I had a spare 5,000 dollars, and if the hard face is still all there, I'd buy it. They don't make anvils like that anymore.

[clinton]

Yes it does have what appears to be the "Peter Wright solid wrought patent" What I do not see are the flats on the feet that are on Peter Wright anvils. Also it should have 4 handling holes (According to Anvils in America) The handling holes would not be visible in the photos shown.

Has anyone contacted this guy for more pictures?

[ThomasPowers]

Note on "investments": the goal is to buy low and sell high. Buying high and hoping that the market will go higher is considered a "risky" investment as many people have found out with houses and are now taking a real pounding through foreclosures. Unfortunately the collectors market for anvils is fairly shallow; buying at the top end is fairly risky if you see it as an investment! As a seller they can price it at any level they want to and many seem to hope that P.T.Barnum was correct!