fordmustangbrad Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 I have an interesting anvil and story to share. I had always wanted an anvil to manipulate iron, copper and brass with but I could not afford one that I deemed suitable for my needs. My other hobby, metal detecting, aided me in the recovery of a very old, very heavy iron anvil. I was detecting at an old farm in the middle of a large cow pasture in central North Carolina and there was an old dilapidated house with no foundation or underpinning. I caught a glimpse of something that resembled an anvil under the house about dead in the center of the house. I put the detector down and knelt down, and using my cellphone as a flashlight, I was able to make out a half buried and very rusty anvil! I crawled up under that house and slowly maneuvered the anvil out from under the house. I then carried it about 1/8 mile to my jeep, which was on the other side of the barbed wire fence. I thought I was going to have a heart attack, it was very exhausting. The farm belongs to a family friend and they did not remember anyone having an anvil. The house was built sometime around 1900. I got the anvil out today and started trying to identify it, but I have been unsuccessful. It looks old, and I would not be suprised if it was 200 years old. There is a handling hole on the front, back and base of the anvil. It weighs around 135 pounds(I do not have a scale, but a simple balance gave me an estimate). Notice in the images the back of the anvil....It almost appears to be crooked. Not sure what that means, but I thought I would point it out. There are no casting marks, stamps, or a manufacturer ID info on the anvil. I would like to know how old my anvil is and what the approximate value is. Any help will be greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nankbrown1227 Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 That my friend is an amazing find! I have wanted one of those anvils for a while, just to look at more than anything lol, that should serve you well and it is a beautiful piece of history! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Looks to be pre-1820. Its probably over 200 years old. Many of these were made by many different forges in England, Europe, and a few in the US. There is really no way to know exactly where it originated. Value is what someone will pay you for it. Someone might look at it and say "I will give you $50" and someone else might offer a lot more. Impossible to put an exact price on it. Location and shipping cost factor in also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Looks in great shape!, Check for possible softening from being in a shop fire, (ball bearing test), and use it! One quibble; 135 is not considered a very heavy anvil; very heavy starts about double that....However 135 is an excellent weight for a hobby shop; light enough to move, heavy enough to move metal on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmustangbrad Posted September 10, 2013 Author Share Posted September 10, 2013 Thanks for the replies, fellas! I hoped it was colonial but now, knowing, I am scared to use it. I also did a ball bearing test with a .700" ball bearing and it had an 83% return rate (18" to 15"). That is passing the test right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYBOY Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Beautiful, Id love to have that for our demo set-up,and yes, 83% is good rebound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 That anvil not only looks crooked it is crooked :mellow: I have two colonials and they are forged crooked also. It's my belief that they were forged this way so they would stay on the stump when working with strikers. Since these anvils have little or no feet to help tie them down the angled face when being struck from the "off side" by strikers heavy blows tends to drive the base of the anvil down into the stump rather than askew and of onto the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 You're a lucky lad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 You couldn't ask for a better anvil! That girl looks almost new, and the soft curves of the face make it almost perfect. Very lucky fellow! Were I you, I'd run down to the local store and get a few lottery tickets. People dream of a find like that and live their whole lives without realizing it. Congratulations. Put her to work and enjoy the ring! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewayforge Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Don't be afraid of using it. She sat under a house for who knows how long, hitting soft steel isn't going to mess her up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basher Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 This is an interesting thread. I have owned an anvil much like this one and I got rid of it in preference for a more modern anvil.. they come up for sale regularly and would normally not fetch as much as a more conventional anvil. what time period are you all referring to with "colonial" and does that make this anvil valuable on your side of the pond. all the best Owen P.S where are you all getting your in-depth anvil knowledge from? as there really isnt much in the UK I can find. cheers Owen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 The colonial period is 1607 from the founding of James town Virginia to the war for independence 1776. England exported many tools to America as part of its policy of mercantilism and stifled American manufacturing to prevent competition. Anything from this time period tends to be held in great esteem by most Americans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 English Colonial starts with the 1607 date---disregarding the lost colony Spanish colonial starts a bit earlier. (We are part of the USA you know...) As for sources "Anvils in America" Richard Postman is the go to book for anvil info on this side of the pond. He also did one on the Mousehole Forge and is supposed to be having an update coming out with more info on English anvils... As America was sparsely populated and low in Industry in the early years anvils dating to that time tend to be small and rare making some folks pay a premium for them. As the "anvil collection" population is pretty sparse the market is not very deep for them. Folks interested in historical recreation of that era look for them to have a more accurate kit---again a shallow market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old South Creations Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 what a cool find! I'm jealous...I've dreamed of making a find like that! That's one of the nicest colonial anvils I've seen. I have 2 very similar to yours and they're "crooked" as well. Don't be afraid to use it...treat her right and you won't hurt it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 English Colonial starts with the 1607 date---disregarding the lost colony Spanish colonial starts a bit earlier. (We are part of the USA you know...) As for sources "Anvils in America" Richard Postman is the go to book for anvil info on this side of the pond. He also did one on the Mousehole Forge and is supposed to be having an update coming out with more info on English anvils... As America was sparsely populated and low in Industry in the early years anvils dating to that time tend to be small and rare making some folks pay a premium for them. As the "anvil collection" population is pretty sparse the market is not very deep for them. Folks interested in historical recreation of that era look for them to have a more accurate kit---again a shallow market. Don't forget the Dutch Colonial anvils in New York, the Russian colonial anvils in Alaska and the French Colonial anvils in Louisiana. I even heard there were some basalt anvils left over from the Kingdom of Hawaii. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Keyes Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 I posted this over on the Bladesmith forum for the anvil expert over there, Alan Longmire Yes, early. English, ca. 1770-1820. No fifth foot, thus post-1770-ish; no pritchel hole, thus pre 1820-ish; no step, thus skewing towards the early end of the spectrum. Long horn, skewing later... Nice one, regardless. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron J. Cergol Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Very nice find. I see many anvils of this period to have a gentle crown in the face like this one. Whether that was done by the manufacturer, or if it was after decades of use and being work hardened I am unsure though. I for one do not like the term "colonial anvil". I understand that it implies that it was used by people of the colonies, but it also often gets mistaken for being made in the colonies. Going along with Mr.Miller, a good many tools, and materials were being exported by England to the colonies, including anvils. It was quite a while before the first anvil manufacturer appears on this side of the pond. This is not to say that anvils were not being made by shops, it's just a loosely used term. Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmustangbrad Posted September 11, 2013 Author Share Posted September 11, 2013 Geoff, thank you for checking with your expert. I guess that what he is saying is that since it does not have a step it is from the 1770s, but since it has a long horn, that makes it from the 1820s. Honestly, 1770-1820 is a fine enough build date estimate. Again, I would like to thank everyone for being so helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Geoff, thank you for checking with your expert. I guess that what he is saying is that since it does not have a step it is from the 1770s, but since it has a long horn, that makes it from the 1820s. Honestly, 1770-1820 is a fine enough build date estimate. Again, I would like to thank everyone for being so helpful! I you hang out on this forum long enough, you will find that 99.9% of the members are extremely helpful and willing to share their knowledge with anyone who has a question or inquiry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloe01 Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 Nice find. No middle sway like my 1830ish mousehole. Cute dog! Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 Albert Sonn pictured an early Spanish 'bigornia' two horned anvil on Plate 2, Figure l, "Early American Wrought Iron." It was at Ft. Marion, St. Augustine, Florida. When Simmons and I were researching for our book,* I inquired about it by letter and was told it was no longer there. In New Mexico, I've seen five stump anvils assumed to be from the colonial period. This frontier style was a squarish block of wrought iron made by repeatedly faggot welding pieces around a central 'spike.' There was no steel face. *"Southwestern Colonial Ironwork" by Marc Simmons and Frank Turley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halcard Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 That is a beautiful colonial anvil. With the horn to the right, I think I can make out a very faint 0 in the center just above the waist, but it could be my imagination. This might be the middle number of a weight marking. The anvil has no pritchel (round) hole, which dates it to before 1830 . It has no table, or step, at the horn. This was added to anvils around 1780, so your anvil was made before that. I found a similar anvil in an old barn in Cobleskill NY. Mine is definitely English from the weight marks which are very faint and were only visible after cleaning with a wire cup brush. The absence od a makers mark was common as there were hundreds of anvil manufacturers in England at that time. There are anvils no better than yours sitting in museums. If your anvil weighs 135, the English weight marking would be 1 0 23. Congratulations on your find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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