Hello guys! I'v read a couple posts and thought someone here may be interested in helping me out. So, i'm in the middle of clearing out my grandfathers house and found this huge anvil (no idea how he got it, crazy xxxxxxx)... Iv attached pictures... The only identification i'v found was a number 13. What do you guys think?.. xxxx, if it ends up being worth millions il give you guys a cut   ;)

 

Thanks!!!!

I dont know about the "13" stamped on it. But it looks like my mousehole forge anvil.

Thanks man. appreciate it!! Gonna do some more research, the 13 must mean something

It looks old enough to be he great-grandfather's anvil, could be a family heirloom. Doesn't look to be in bad condition either. To clean it up put a wire brush on a 4" hand held grinder and give it a good brushing, NO abrasive disks please.

When you wire brush it other stampings and markings will appear, then take more pictures.

On picture two i swear i can see 1 1 13 spaced across the side, so it's the weight numbers.

 

1 hundred weight (112 lbs) + 1 quarter hundred weight (28 lbs) + 13 Lbs = 153 lbs.  If you weigh it and it's close to that figure then I'm right.

 

 Hope that helps some.  :)

On picture two i swear i can see 1 1 13 spaced across the side, so it's the weight numbers.

 

1 hundred weight (112 lbs) + 1 quarter hundred weight (28 lbs) + 13 Lbs = 158 lbs.  If you weigh it and it's close to that figure then I'm right.

 

 Hope that helps some.  :)

I see those marks also and based on the top dimension 158 lbs is about right.

Based on the shape of the legs, and the fatter mid-section, it could also be a Wilkinsons. The shape is very similar to my Wilkinsons.

 

If you wire brush the other side (opposite the one with the 1-1-13 weight marks) then you might find the Wilkinsons crossed ovals logo, and some other writing.

 

Regards,

Markus

Welcome aboard, glad to have you whoever you are. If you'll put your general location in your header you might be pleasantly surprised to discover how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance.

 

Sorry, no help with your anvil but it looks like it's in perfectly serviceable shape. Put it on a bathroom scale, weight is a more significant measurement than physical dimensions.

 

Are you planning on getting into the craft, evaluating it for possible sale, or? If it's a family heirloom keeping it would be my first inclination even if I couldn't or had no interest in using it.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

Nice anvil. When the feet terminate in a rough triangular shape as shown in the last photo, it tells me that it is old, probably from the 19th century or early 20th, and that it is of English manufacture. Most American anvils had feet ending rather squarish.

Digger your math is OFF!  112 + 28 + 13 = 153#  NOT 158#  I see those numbers too.  It won't be worth millions but I think you could easily get around $300 for it!

I also saw a 1  1  13 before reading any posts. I agree with the 153#. Lucky you!

Digger your math is OFF!  112 + 28 + 13 = 153#  NOT 158#  I see those numbers too.  It won't be worth millions but I think you could easily get around $300 for it!

 

 Tiredness kills they say!   :lol:

It looks like my 168 lb mousehole though in better shape :). From the research Ive done on mine I would say it was made after the 1820's because of the prickle hole. Though my brain could be addled I've been at work all day.

What kind of ring does it have to it?

Have you put a hammer to it yet?

Hey guys! Can't thank you enough for all the input. Yesterday I took a wirebrush and found an H and J on the other side of the 1 1 13... Feels like I am uncovering a mystery, pretty cool.. I would share pictures but I can't seem to figure out how to upload  :unsure:

 

To answer some questions, I am most likely going to try and sell it, considering I don't know the trade.. But if it doesn't get sold, I will keep it lol. I truly have no idea how it ended up in my grandfathers possession. And sorry Picker, I haven't taken a hammer to it, maybe I will tomorrow?.. But even if I did, I'm not sure I would be able to describe the "ring" lol.

 

Thanks again everyone!! Let me know if the HJ means anything to any of you

 

 

 

**** Figured out how to upload! woohoo 

Hill Birmingham Anvil?

 

Here's a recent thread with identifiable pictures... 

 

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/31242-hill-birmingham-235lbs/

I've yet to identify my own anvil, and the similarities between it and a Wilkinsons, Mousehole, Hill, etc, are uncanny... Thomas Powers made mention that there where over 200 manufacturers in england in the mid to late 1800s...  

 

I wish there were some compilation of unique features brought to the table to identify origin, but it's kind of hard when they all have so many similarities...

It kinda looks like a Joseph Wilkinsons anvil to me....i have one and it looks the exact same.