I found this one over the weekend. I'm pretty happy with the condition. Rebound is great from the cut plate back to the hardy. It gets a little dead over the heel. Not sure what to make of that but the heel "looks" good. I just started stripping the paint this morning and I'm happy with it. I got a good price and the seller is a great guy so a new friend to boot! I'm going out this afternoon to forge with it. I couldn't, wait to see the imprint better so I went ahead and brushed it off but my favorite way to remove rust and paint is to put hot metal on the anvil and forge it into something useful! Happy hunting to all my fellow anvil stalkers.

nice anvil. the reason you lose rebound behind the hardy is because you dont have as much mass under the heel. no pritchel means its pretty old, if i remember correctly that means is pre 1850's or earlier. im sure one of the guys with more knowledge on anvils will correct me if my date is off 

Good score! I have an M&H Armitage Mousehole as well; mine's 148 lbs (marked 1*1*8) and has great rebound.

As I understand it, Mousehole used the M&H marking from 1820 to 1835 and started adding pritchel holes circa 1830. Interestingly, my M&H does have a pritchel, so although it's not much newer than yours, it stands on the other side of that era marker. 

Don't forget that a lot of older anvils had pritchels retrofitted, usual way to determine if original or added is the earlier ones were punched and retrofitted ones were drilled...check the bottom of the heel for evidence of punching...

6 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

Don't forget that a lot of older anvils had pritchels retrofitted, usual way to determine if original or added is the earlier ones were punched and retrofitted ones were drilled...check the bottom of the heel for evidence of punching...

I shall do that when I get home! Thanks!

2 hours ago, JHCC said:

Good score! I have an M&H Armitage Mousehole as well; mine's 148 lbs (marked 1*1*8) and has great rebound.

As I understand it, Mousehole used the M&H marking from 1820 to 1835 and started adding pritchel holes circa 1830. Interestingly, my M&H does have a pritchel, so although it's not much newer than yours, it stands on the other side of that era marker. 

I believe the 1820-1835 date is correct. My other mouse hole is later, lighter, in much worse condition, has a pritchel and has great rebound on the heel. The one posted in this thread is thicker and wider in the heel and all rebound evaporates behind the hardy. Go figure. At any rate, I forged on it a couple of hours this afternoon and I love it!

I have several very early Mousehole anvils and your's corresponds to a 1820 to 1830 make. I have a similar anvil with the M&H logo and a pritchel hole that dates from the 1830 t0 1835 era, Mine all have great rebounds and are wonderful anvils to work on. Good score, it may be 185+ years old but it will outlast all of us if it is carefully used!

Make something om it and show us how it has taught you to be a blacksmith.

6 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Don't forget that a lot of older anvils had pritchels retrofitted, usual way to determine if original or added is the earlier ones were punched and retrofitted ones were drilled...check the bottom of the heel for evidence of punching...

Well, I checked. I'm guessing punched, as there is a slight bulging on the underside, and I don't see any obvious drill marks inside the hole. Anything else I should be looking for?

From what i can see your anvil does not have a pritchel hole, that's why I said its date of manufacture is between 1820 and 1830. The only hole I see in your pictures is the hardy hole which would have been punched.

33 minutes ago, Fatfudd said:

From what i can see your anvil does not have a pritchel hole, that's why I said its date of manufacture is between 1820 and 1830. The only hole I see in your pictures is the hardy hole which would have been punched.

I think you may be thinking of TwistedCustoms's anvil. I'm the other guy with an M & H Armitage Mousehole; here it is:

yes the subtle bulge is a classic indicator of punching over drilling.

The coloring on the edge looks a little off. Is it possible this anvil was welded up? Or am I mis-seeing things?

does it have a handling hole in the throat, under the horn?

On 12/17/2015 at 2:58 AM, falsevacuum said:

The coloring on the edge looks a little off. Is it possible this anvil was welded up? Or am I mis-seeing things?

I don't believe its been welded, the rebound is flawless over the whole face from edge to edge. Someone painted over rust and I photographed it right after wire brushing it off.

On 12/17/2015 at 3:06 PM, Ian Sayers said:

does it have a handling hole in the throat, under the horn?

Yes, handling hole front and back.

i was working for a man at my church yesterday and found this anvil, can you guys help me date it at all? it feels like mine in weight (about 115lbs) the farm was bought in the 1880s and i don't know when the anvil was bought (with the farm or after)

I recommend that those of you with the Mousehole anvils lay your hands on a copy of Richard Postman's "Mousehole Forge" book.  Either purchase or library loan...fantastic reading about the history of the Mousehole forge and the area.  I'm not a history buff, and don't have a Mousehole anvil, but I believe I've read it about three times now.

The weight is clearly stamped in the CWT system, (used for older English Anvils): 1.0.5 is 1 x 112 + 0 x 28 + 5 = 117 pounds, however stamped weight is often a few pounds different than what shows up when we weigh it on the bathroom scale.  (American anvils are stamped in pounds and European anvils in kg---except some sold in America which use pounds...)

If I'm see the stampings correctly and reading postman's book correctly:

M & H

ARMITAGE

MOUSE

HOLE

[weight stamp]

was used circa 1820 to 1835---does the anvil have a pritchel hole in the face?

it does not have a pritchel hole 

Probably 1820-1830, then.