MarkDobson Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Hi guys im rather new to blacksmithing and have been lurking on the forums for a while now trying to get ideas and learn the basics but i have a slight problem, im lacking a decent anvil. I have been using an old piece of steel (probably 30-40lbs) that i found in my grandparents old garage and while it has served me well i think its time for me to upgrade to something a bit bigger. I found this anvil on craigslist not to far from my house which i believe to be a mouse hole. He does not give a specific weight but he says it would need 2 people to move it. As far as i can see there are no markings on the anvil but the face and horn look decent. i did notice however that the tip of one of the feet was broken off. As for price he is asking $400 or best offer, seeing as i have seen this anvil floating around on craigslist for awhile im sure it could be had for cheaper. Im just not sure what a fair offer or what the value of this anvil would even be. Thanks in advance for any info and help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Welcome aboard Mark, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance. I can't help with ID but the anvil's condition looks to be pretty good. Not knowing where you are I can't even guess what's worth, tool values are are very regional in nature. You ought to price any anvil in Alaska. So long as the seller isn't too attached to an "antique" or maybe has high blood glucose I always counter offer. Maybe it's just GP for me but I always counter offer. I've lost out on some sweet deals but more often than not save a few bucks off asking. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 The best I can add is that it looks to be an early English forged anvil. It has had a lot of use, but it is not worn out. It also appears that the front foot pictured has a piece broken off, but this should not affect the usability. "Best offer" allows you the opportunity to inspect the anvil and make what ever offer you want. The worst that could happen is they say no. You have to decide what the anvil is worth to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Until you know more details, you don't know much about it. When someone says, "..it takes two people to move it...", rarely is that the case. That statement usually comes from someone who thinks a 50# bag of dogfood is quite heavy. There might be visible weight numbers on the other side of the anvil. Take a ball bearing to test the rebound of the face in several areas. It looks like there is the handle of a fishing rod on the right side in the second picture. If so, that gives a bit of scale of the size. Is it close to you? If so go have a look. If not, ask for some pictures of the other side of the anvil, and some overall length, height, and face width measurements. That will give you a much better idea of what you're looking at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I am going to go right out on a limb here, and say that based on the size of the horn and the feet vs. the size of the face and hardy, that you are looking at a 200+ pound English anvil circa 1850. I would snap it up in a heartbeat at that price if it measures up in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Bring a bathroom scale and a 1" ball bearing. First check the bounce to make sure it doesn't have a soft face from a previous fire. Then weigh it: $2 a pound is not bad $4 a pound would be over the top in my opinion. The broken foot affects "antique" value but not using value---it is a negotiating point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkDobson Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 Alright, i emailed him a little bit ago asking for the measurements and a picture of the other side of the anvil. Based on the fishing rod and the tape measure on the floor im guessing the anvil to be about 9-10 inches tall and 5-6 inches wide but hopefully i will have the exact measurements by tonight. Thanks for the help guys, i really appreciate it Mark ps. i had two more photos i couldn't attach the first time so here they are Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkDobson Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 well i finally got a response and the dimensions are 21.75in from the tip of the horn to the heel, it is 10.5in tall and the face is 14 inx5.5in. which leads to my next and hopefully final question, do anyone have a rough guess on what the anvil will weigh. Im only asking because it is going to be an hour+ drive and i dont want to get all the way down there to find out it isnt what i thought it would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 From your dimensions,my estimate is that the anvil will weigh about 150/160 lb. The anvil is well used, but still has a lot of life. No obvious damage is visible, so go take a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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