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Odd Marking on my Wright Anvil


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I have a Wright anvil, about 150#, from about 1900.  There are incised letters on it in this configuration that say:

 

"D. Kim

MAD

FO

CA"

 

I believe it was hammered in with a stamp but on a slight curve of the body of the anvil so not all the letters are there.  I think it might be "Made For Ca.....(?)"   Does anyone know what this means.  I am very curious about this.   Thank you.

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Thank you so much for the info.  That's interesting.  I don't have a picture of it handy but  your question makes me think that the stamp was on the rounded part of the anvil so the last and first letters were missing.  But what was " Mad Fo"?  And who is S.D. Kimbark?

 

S.D. Kimbark

    Mad

    Fo

Chicago 

 

Chicago makes sense because it belonged to my great-grandfather and he lived in northern Illinois.

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Just a guess on my part.... it wouldn't be SD Kimbark if it really was a Peter Wright anvil. Kimbark marked anvils were made by Hay Budden for the Kimbark Hardware Co, but the early Kimbarks were made in Germany according to A.I.A.

Budden also made some marked E.D. KIMBALL for a Chicago company as well.... but if yours truly is a Peter Wright anvil, none of this applies....

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This anvil has a very clear Peter Wright marking.  In the meantime I looked up S.D. Kimbark and found their 1876 catalog,

S.D. Kimbark's Illustrated Catalogue.   This Peter Wright anvil is shown on page 266 at a price of 16 cents per pound (about $24.60).  

 

I am from the same corner of the country as you are.   Thank you so much for your help.  

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  • 7 years later...

It says made for e.d. Kimball & co Chicago. I have the same one. Peter wright. 1-0-17 is mine. I read that means 129 pounds. I know I’m like 7-8 years late but I just got mine and wondered what this company did. Just so I can imagine the work done on it. 

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Usually rebranded anvils were stamped with the company's name that was the resellers; so large hardware companys, catalog sales companies---(like Sears or Montgomery Wards), etc.  (Look up: rebranding automobile  for a modern example.)

I don't know many companies that paid to have their name stamped on tools for internal use, usually an retrofitted tag or additional stamping was added (like the UK "broad arrow".  Now Railroads often had their mark stamped into tools as they tended to walk off....

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