I finally got a post vise!! I have been using my bench vise and trying to be gentle with it as I know they are not meant for the abuse. But every once in a while you get carried away and take a few swings at the hot item in the vise. But this weekend I scored this little beauty, the guy was asking $125 (the cheapest I have seen on the oly-pen) and I didn't hesitate to pull out my anvil cash stash to seal the deal, opens and closes very smooth, everything is solid and tight, only one little chip out of one of the jaws. Not sure make, age etc. The only mark I found is the 2 under the mounting bracket. Any help on age manufacturer etc would be appreciated. Thanks guys!
I can't wait to weld up a stand for this little guy and put him to work

Without a makers mark on it. It is pretty hard to ID.

Looks to be in great shape

I have 4 leg vises and I know this much about each of them

age:  Mature 

Manufacturer: somebody most likely long out of business 

Value:  exactly what I paid for each of them

Future:  Secure, I never Lay Off Tools

Yours looks quite nice, good value, enjoy by putting to work it was designed for and make up what ever story you want to tell of it.

"Columbian"

Frank:  In todays world "Columbian" sounds like a brand of illegal drugs so I'm told

Negative on narcotics.  Coffee.

Wanna' be nit picky? Colombia in South America is spelled with an "o" where we use the "u".

I try to always put misspelings in so folks can find them

Coyote, I have an identical twin to your vise that is marked ACME approximately in the center of the ski jump on the movable jaw. Weight (60 on mine) is at the bottom of the jump. I found the markings quite by accident only after the third steel-wooling with oil; the letters are 3/16" in height and lightly stamped. So lightly, in fact, that an aggressive scouring using an angle grinder with a wire wheel could quickly obliterate them. You have a very nice tool there. 

As I recall ACME was a sears brand way back when and they used to contract out to differing manufacturers over the years So you could have 2 anvils marked ACME and made by very different manufacturers. (IIRC HB made some of the ACME anvils...)

Thanks guys! I went in with a wire toothbrush and did some hand brushing turns out it had marks all over the place!

Both of jaws are stamped M 4, and the top of one of the jaws says "tool" or maybe "tocl" and then vw & whc?

With a faint 50 at the base of the jaw.

1901 is probably the date; I've owned a couple of date stamped postvises---more than the number of date stamped anvils I have owned.

50 may be the weight in pounds, weigh it! Is that a broad arrow in picture 1

I was able to pick out the letters you mentioned.

Me as a jokster 100 years ago. "I'll stamp random letters on this vise, they'll be so confused. HAHA"

might be 1904....  You don't stamp random letters and numbers on your gear for ID purposes?  I once bought an anvil just because it was stamped POWE; I was hoping for POWERS; but Postman told me it was POWELL  Well only till I get my Chisels out!

I had a bit of a chuckle when I read that you get carried away with your bench vise and take a few swings at a hot item.

Just struck me funny bone as I am now wondering what you must be using for a bench vise if you are not supposed to do that.

Indeed those are the weight, and date stamps

coyote gear, I believe your vise is a van Wagoner and Williams  Columbian bought them out in 1901. Looks like columbian made the vise. About 1910 the triangle mount has the C stamp in the middle. I found this info in google books 1901 Iron Age trade book.  Probably was marked V & W Hardware . 

From Timothy Miller

Posted 23 Aug 2012

Places to look for markings are on the screw box peter wrights are marked here. Also on the leg just under the pivot I have a William Foster vise marked as such with a crown and the word foster under it. I also have a vise marked on the front jaw with V W & W H Co. AKA Van Wagoner & Williams Hardware Co.

Bingo!  Coyote ID solved .  Above quote from old forum post of member Timothy Miller.