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1939 fisher anvil #23


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that anvil looks to be in great condition but 6 dollars a pound is new anvil prices..  get a 250lb rhino anvil for that price.  I am still looking for my first anvil and have looked for over a year.  I have seen fishers as nice as that one go for 6-800 in other parts of the country., if I could get one for that price range I would jump on it here in Montana, but if I am going to pay more than that I am going for a new anvil.  I have seen people ask that much for 200 lb fisher anvils on craigslist and ebay and they just sit there and don't sell, so I would definitely talk him way down... really nice anvil though

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That '23' looks like a '25' to me.  Fisher marked the weight like that, so I would expect the weight to be somewhere between 230 and 250lbs.

 

Is it worth the money he's asking?  Well, that depends.  I am a huge proponent of the Fisher anvils and I will gladly say that, all things being equal, Fisher anvils are as good (or better) any anvils being made today.  People are paying similar money for a brand-new anvil, so why not pay that same money for an 'almost-new' Fisher?

 

You cannot get that quiet Fisher quality in any new anvils.  If I had the choice between a Fisher and Rhino, same size and condition, I'd choose the Fisher every time.

 

Having said that, though, you can get a good Fisher off of ebay and have it shipped to your door for less than he's asking.  I had mine shipped halfway across the country for only $200, making the total cost almost half what he wants for that thing.  And mine is bigger by at least fifty pounds!

 

Unless you're absolutely needing an anvil for production work right now, I'd shop around.

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I have to agree, $3-$4 a lb is a good price.  I have a nearly identical Fisher, same date and logo, but none of the other markings, but this ones edges are in much better shape.  I love the closed anchor cleats.  I paid $2.5 a lb for mine, but that was back when God was a little boy :lol: .  Even with shipping a new anvil would be less.  Try to talk him down, but be prepared to walk if he won't budge.

 

Geoff

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There is no such thing as a "NAVY" Fisher.  That is the logo  they had used is one incarnation or another since 1870.  The weight # are 25, indicating weight of about 250 lbs +/-.  The anvil is in nice shape.  The price is at the high end of realistic pricing.  And 1939 does not really make it an antique.  Fisher's were produced since the early 1850's. 

 

Bring 100 dollar bills, and offer about $800.  Worth a try.

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Antique is over 100 years old for most things, 1939 doesn't cut it.

 

I don't know where you live but even here in anvil poor New Mexico USA that price is excessively excessive.

 

Now if that is Australian dollars or Singapore dollars it might make a difference as LOCATION can double an anvil's price.

 

Let him wait for all those antique anvil collectors to come batter his door down!

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There's a big difference in asking price and getting price. A thing is NOT worth what a person asks, it's worth what someone will pay for it. I'm with NJ, I'd take 8 $100 bills and the intent to say good day. You can't effectively bargain if you let the seller know you REALLY want a thing, you have to have your mind made up that it just isn't really all THAT important to have.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

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There's a big difference in asking price and getting price. A thing is NOT worth what a person asks, it's worth what someone will pay for it. I'm with NJ, I'd take 8 $100 bills and the intent to say good day. You can't effectively bargain if you let the seller know you REALLY want a thing, you have to have your mind made up that it just isn't really all THAT important to have.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

I run inot that all the time.."Well Ive been looking online" right then I know Im gonna hear some ridiculous number.."Well I saw them on ebay priced for $1100" but they don't realize that same anvil has been relisted a dozen times..

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I thought Rhino's were now being cast in the PNW?  Pretty sure I read that he was having trouble getting consistent quality from the chinese foundry and then found a local caster that could meet the pricepoint he needed.  That's been about a year ago or better.

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I think I have you all beat. I bought one like that 200# for $125 (the guy was asking $150) back in 1980-something.

Granted that was a while ago but they haven't appreciated that much. I'll agree with everybody else and say too much money.

 

Hey Josh,

I know there is no specific "Navy" model. However, didn't Fisher have the government contracts to produce anvils for the Navy?

I thought so anyway and that does look like deck gray paint on it. Interesting.

George

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I run inot that all the time.."Well Ive been looking online" right then I know Im gonna hear some ridiculous number.."Well I saw them on ebay priced for $1100" but they don't realize that same anvil has been relisted a dozen times..

 

I do hate that also especially when they are comparing an anvil or powehammer that is in disuse and in need of major repairs to a specimen that is in pristine condition. However Matchless did sell a 200lb Fisher in slightly better condition for over $1000 plus freight shipping so the asking price was not completely unjustified. It was too high for a local sale without cleaning it up and taking pretty pictures.

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I think I have you all beat. I bought one like that 200# for $125 (the guy was asking $150) back in 1980-something.

Granted that was a while ago but they haven't appreciated that much. I'll agree with everybody else and say too much money.

 

Hey Josh,

I know there is no specific "Navy" model. However, didn't Fisher have the government contracts to produce anvils for the Navy?

I thought so anyway and that does look like deck gray paint on it. Interesting.

George

 

Yes, Fisher produced anvils for the US government for about a hundred years.  They went to all branches of service.  Clark Fisher wrote the specifications for anvils when he left the Navy in 1870.  Guess who's anvil best met the specs!  The GSA is the government group that did the ordering.  Their orders kept Fisher going in many lean times.  Their orders were for 50 to 150 at a time.  Mostly 50/100/150 lb anvils.  There is no "Navy" model.  The logo with the anchor was used when Clark Fisher took over in 1870, after the death of Mark Fisher.  Probably to signify his time as a Naval Engineer.  That logo in various shapes continued as long as Fisher used logos on the anvils.

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  • 1 month later...

It looks as if you're correct.  However, do you really want to support someone that's only using US workers because he can't get it done in China.  I don't, I support those that support us.

I am American, my company is American, and Rhino Anvils are made in America. 

 

My objective in designing and making Rhino anvils is to provide the very best anvil I can provide. Aside from the design features which are exactly what I want in an anvil, I want Rhinos to be made using the best available alloy and heat treatment process.  As it turns out, making Rhino anvils at a modern, high-tech foundry 5 miles from my shop in Spokane is the best way to do that and keep the anvils affordable. 

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Whatever you get, remember the Rhino is a Chinese import. 

This is no longer true.  I bought one of the last Chinese imports that Incandescent Ironworks made four years ago.  They are all made in the USA out of an " alloy (that) has a very large proportion of chrome and nickel, with smaller proportions of molybdenum and manganese. This same alloy was originally designed specifically to tolerate the extreme shock and abrasion experienced by the liner plates in rock crushers. It is an air-hardening steel, and does not require quenching. Heat treatment involves only tempering, so the hardness (HRC 52) extends through the full thickness of the anvil."  From their website. 

 

Even though I have one of The Chinese versions I'm very happy with it.  I would recommend this anvil to anyone.  The company is very good to work with and more than willing to arrange shipping.  Which for someone who lives in Alaska is a must have.  They did a great job and saved me a bundle on shipping. 
 

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Rhino anvils are made in America, Incandescent Ironworks is an American company, and I am American. 

 

I designed Rhinos to have the combination of features I wanted in an anvil, then went looking for a foundry that could make them and guarantee top quality while keeping the costs down.  It was interesting to discover that some of the top-name anvils are made in China.  I tried that and found the logistics too complicated.

 

The reason I get Rhinos made at a local high-tech American foundry is because that's the best way to ensure excellent quality and keep the costs down.  I like being able to inspect each anvil at the foundry before it's loaded onto my truck, then drive just five miles to my shop to unload.  I dress each anvil myself before shipping: grind a tapered radius on the edge, and polish the edge and face.  Dressing these anvils is not an easy process because the alloy is extremely tough.  lt was designed originally for the liners of rock crushers.

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It's very hard to keep companies in the US when the US customers want the product for pennies.  It's the customer that dictates the selling price of a product, and the company has to dance to their tune.  To "pricey" and the customer doesn't buy.  To cheap and the company doesn't cover expenses and turn a profit.  Throw in all the taxes and government regulations and it's a miracle that anyone can stay in business around these parts!

 

Steve, you're doing a good thing and turning out a good product.  Keep it up!

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