IrishJoe Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Greetings, all. I have two anvils, acquired years ago. Getting back into smithing has peaked my curiosity as to what exactly I have. I was wondering if I could trouble the experts here with a moment to tell me what exactly I have. Thanks! The first is a Fisher anvil. My understanding is the weight should be stamped on the anvil, and is usually in "ten weight" (?). The closest I can find in regards to the weight is "14.1" stamped under the horn. If I was to guess, this anvil is over 200 lbs. Wear and tear wise, how does this anvil look? Any knowledge on this particular anvil/model? The second appears to be a Hay-Budden anvil. I can't see any dates or weight on this. Under the horn is stamped a solitary "5" (or perhaps upside down 2). If I was to guess, this one is around 100 lbs. As with the first anvil, any expert knowledge available concerning this anvil? Any idea as to a rough value on both? (For curiosity purposes only, I'm keeping them both!) Thanks a lot! Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Fisher looks in great shape; got a bathroom scale that goes to 300#? The second one is definitely an HB; the hourglass indentation on the base is a give away (as well as the Brooklyn NY, etc) As for price: I would expect them to sell for nearly double here than where I used to live and both those places are in the USA---where you are at I have no idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Your Fisher anvil appears to have had some damage to the tip of the horn that was ground back a bit. Does not affect its use, just not "factory original". The 14 1 on the heel has nothing to do with the weight. It is probably a pour number. The 1891 is the year it was made. If you go into the "Anvil reviews by Brand" section, look in the Fisher section. I posted a copy of their catalog. You can get a pretty good idea of the weight by the dimensions of your anvil, and looking at the catalog listings. On your HB anvil, you can see at least the "BUDDEN" part of the name, and Brooklyn, NY. See if their are any serial number across the front base. Post them if they are visible and we can give you a year of manufacture. Value is what someone is willing to pay, and what you are will to accept. This forum is not an appraisal service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishJoe Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share Posted May 4, 2014 Your Fisher anvil appears to have had some damage to the tip of the horn that was ground back a bit. Does not affect its use, just not "factory original". The 14 1 on the heel has nothing to do with the weight. It is probably a pour number. The 1891 is the year it was made. If you go into the "Anvil reviews by Brand" section, look in the Fisher section. I posted a copy of their catalog. You can get a pretty good idea of the weight by the dimensions of your anvil, and looking at the catalog listings. On your HB anvil, you can see at least the "BUDDEN" part of the name, and Brooklyn, NY. See if their are any serial number across the front base. Post them if they are visible and we can give you a year of manufacture. Value is what someone is willing to pay, and what you are will to accept. This forum is not an appraisal service. Thank you sir! The Fisher measures 6 x 20, with a 1 3/8 hardy hole and a 3/4 pritchel hole. The closest match I could find on that catalog listing was the 350 lb anvil. The only discrepancy was that anvil is listed as having a 21 inch long face, mine measures 20" exactly. My horn also only measures 11 1/2, but I concur with your assessment that it sustained damage; it looks like the tip was ground and reformed at one point. I'll have to recheck to see if I can read a legible serial number on the HB. -J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishJoe Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share Posted May 4, 2014 Fisher looks in great shape; got a bathroom scale that goes to 300#? The second one is definitely an HB; the hourglass indentation on the base is a give away (as well as the Brooklyn NY, etc) As for price: I would expect them to sell for nearly double here than where I used to live and both those places are in the USA---where you are at I have no idea Sadly, none that would survive if I put that anvil on it. Reading through this forum, it seems both HB and Fisher are quality anvils, would you say thats a fair assessment? Thanks, J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishJoe Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share Posted May 4, 2014 On your HB anvil, you can see at least the "BUDDEN" part of the name, and Brooklyn, NY. See if their are any serial number across the front base. Post them if they are visible and we can give you a year of manufacture. Unfortunately, this is about the best that I can recover of the serial number. Perhaps a "106609" or "IU6609" Either of those look right? I did throw this one on the bathroom scale; it came in at 160 lb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 106609 would have been made in 1905, according to AIA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Yes both are good anvils; HB's are one of the top american brands and Fishers are the top non-ringing anvil in America if not the world. Both are in quite good used shape---not mint but with several generations of uselife left in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishJoe Posted May 5, 2014 Author Share Posted May 5, 2014 Excellent, thank you gentlemen for your time! Its good to know I have some quality iron, -J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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