Black Frog Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I saw this sawyers anvil on 'the' auction site, not that I'm going to bid on it, but noticed something I hadn't seen much of before. The lovely "F&N" in the casting of this Fisher anvil. Beautiful look to it. It does have the eagle logo on far side of the anvil in the pic. I do have a smaller 114# saw anvil that has the "FISHER" cast in the base of the anvil, and hoping maybe Josh can shed some light on the subject as to when the "F&N" was used? Was it the size of the anvil, or a time period when that was used? Did they use that on any other anvils, or just the sawyers anvils? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Fisher & Norris first started to mark their anvils with the F & N in the 1870's. Exact year is unknown at this time, but I suspect it was early in the decade, until they put the full FISHER on in the early 1880's. I have one anvil with the 1860's round eagle emblem and FN, several with the bold 1870's Eagle with FN and one with the square inset logo with FN of the 1880's. So that FN and F & N logo spanned from around 1870 to 1881. One thing you can count on with Fisher is that they were not reluctant to change details on their products. And for me, it has led to many surprises as I keep discovering another iteration of what they made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 Great info! Thanks- can't wait for the book.... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 Another question.... I picked up this 100# Fisher from CL this week. Only a few miles from me. I saw the ad within several hours of it being posted, a few rusty pictures and the ad said, "Anvil- $35". Obviously the seller had no idea what they were selling..... Of course the seller had been flooded with calls about it in that short time, we talked a while and I gave them some information of the differences in anvil types, makes, and manufacturing methods. We talked more about anvils and blacksmithing, which they knew nothing about but were quite interested. She asked me with all the flood of calls, what IS it worth? I could see it was it fine shape and made a fair offer of several times their CL asking amount. I told them that they could most likely get more than my offer if they were patient for the right buyer, or went to Ebay with it. Lucky for me, they were moving and wanted it gone. :) They were moving from a house built in the late 1800's, and they think this anvil had been in the house the entire time...... I was intrigued with the numerous patent dates on the foot this 1887 anvil. Also the "pressed in" eagle logo casting vs. the later "standing proud" eagle, when did that transition occur? On the side of the anvil opposite the eagle logo there is a stamp of "100" on the edge of the steel plate. After a few hours of the cleaing process this lovely, 127 year old girl looks beautiful again....... Cast in patent dates of: April 24-1877, May 13-1884, June 28-1887 That's a lot of information to cast into the foot of an anvil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Nice score! I went out to the museum to check: 1879: First cast in date(on the bottom, hidden) First use of the square inset logo, two different sizes depending on anvil size. Your anvil has the larger size, about 4" x 4". Smaller anvils had about a 2" x 2" of the same design. 1881: First date cast in on the back under the heel. 1882: One of my small anvil has a proud Eagle, about 2" across. They were not totally consistent! 1890: Logo changed to a proud Eagle, just not as bold as the 1870's Eagle 1890/91: Some anvils had the weight cast in under the horn 1892: Mounting lugs first appeared on anvils from 100 to 350 lbs. I have seen a few 400 with them, but most did not. The weight amounts begin on the leg of the anvil. Both actual weights and abbreviated weight amounts were used. Please note that all during this time, Fisher made anvils both with and without logos. Fisher was not reluctant to change. The dating of the anvils was from their guarantee of one year against defects. Of course, you had to return the anvil to Trenton for inspection and replacement. I have a few anvils where the final digit in the year mark was ground off and hand stamped to reflect the year it was actually sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 Fantastic information- I love that sort of stuff. Thanks much!! WHEN IS THE BOOK COMING? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 My first year of retirement was to get my house, farm and shop in order. Amazing how much stuff I neglected or did not have the time for the last few years. A lot has gotten done, a lot still to go. But I continue to gather information and artifacts that will add the the completeness of the book. I hope to get a lot done this coming winter when I cannot do as much outdoor work. Are you going to Dover Frog? If so, stopping by the museum after? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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