I am bidding on two anvils tomorrow morning at a San Francisco auction and want to know what they are worth so hopefully someone can respond ASAP please.  I want to keep one and sell one. One is marked Trenton inside continuous diamond and is 30-1/2" long and 11-3/8" tall. I did not know where to look for weight markings so it could be marked in edge of foot, it weighs over 100 pounds I am sure. It has a semi circular projection on the right side of the top. The Trenton one has one square hole and two round holes through top.

The other one is 29" long and 12" tall and could be as much as 25% wider than the Trenton so I am sure it weighs more than the longer Trenton one. It is embossed on the big side with numbers 202. May have other markings obscured by the peeling paint. Anyone know who might have made this one?

Edited August 10, 20169 yr by SFcollector
Mistake

Ok, so the Trenton is a farrier pattern anvil....but the picture of the marking looks raised, which implies a cast body. I've personally never seen a raised Trenton logo. The second one I've gut no input.

Not being pessimistic, but without putting your hands on the anvil, checking rebound or signs of delamination, cracking, or low quality repairs, it's a total gamble if the anvils are with Anything...

As has been pointed out on this site before, the proof of any anvil worth is not in the name, but in the functionality. If they have been welded on, or been through a fire, their temper could be affected.

That being said, California prices run high. I try not to pay more than $3/lb....but I'm not in California. 5/lb isn't unreasonable if you can test them.

1 hour ago, D.C. said:

Ok, so the Trenton is a farrier pattern anvil....but the picture of the marking looks raised, which implies a cast body. I've personally never seen a raised Trenton logo. The second one I've gut no input.

Not being pessimistic, but without putting your hands on the anvil, checking rebound or signs of delamination, cracking, or low quality repairs, it's a total gamble if the anvils are with Anything...

As has been pointed out on this site before, the proof of any anvil worth is not in the name, but in the functionality. If they have been welded on, or been through a fire, their temper could be affected.

That being said, California prices run high. I try not to pay more than $3/lb....but I'm not in California. 5/lb isn't unreasonable if you can test them.

Thanks D.C. for your quick reply.

Yes the Trenton logo is raised. Good point.

I will try to get there early and see if I can test it with a short sledge hammer for rebound. I assume it is supposed to be about 80% plus to be good? Will a sledge hammer suffice for testing?

The one with the peeling paint is fairly unlikely to have been in a fire as the paint is clearly very, very old and not charred. Also fairly certain there are no cracks or repairs. No evidence of being welded on either. Wouldn't that like leave some evidence?

You don't need a sledge, a small ball pien will work.  The painted one looks like a Trenton also.  

I think the painted one is a Arm n Hammer. They have distinct horn shape I personally think is ugly. Gives them all away.

I was just giving some examples of damage that is not always easy to spot from a picture.

A ball bearing is easier to use to test rebound. Less noisy too.

28 minutes ago, D.C. said:

I was just giving some examples of damage that is not always easy to spot from a picture.

A ball bearing is easier to use to test rebound. Less noisy too.

One with paint remnants has s/n 43412

Where is the serial number on the anvil?

7 minutes ago, D.C. said:

Where is the serial number on the anvil?

On the side on the foot on right

Can you post pics of both anvil's serial numbers?  And the side of the painted anvil above the 202?

1 hour ago, Black Frog said:

Can you post pics of both anvil's serial numbers?  And the side of the painted anvil above the 202?

 

Thanks, is there a pic of the painted one's side above the 202 mark? Normally you don't see that flat top "3" stamp in the 43412 serial number, but  A&H has that font in later years (and a few earlier) as that serial number would be.  Most A&H's number stamps have a round top "3" stamp in their numbers.

A&H stamped both on the right and left side of the foot at times.

That logo above the 202 stamp on the side would be a good one to get for the A&H database at is helps to fill in a gap between logo styles, so I'd love to see a picture!

Can we get a closeup of the painted anvil's side with horn facing right?  Like this area:

Yes, bit I am in a area with very slow Internet coverage and photos are now bogged down. There may be something incised in that area. It is hard to tell what is just surface paint vs possible paint recessed in letters. I thought I saw sonething written there but could be my imagination. Will post the requested area pic when Internet allows

Your reasoning about a fire is not good.  Very old anvils can have been in a fire and can have been painted 100 years ago to cover that up.  It's unlikely to have been in a fire though  so a simple bounce test will be sufficient.  

Those look to be in very good shape and will probably go high in that region.

Would it be possible to get shot of the underside of the base?

2 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Your reasoning about a fire is not good.  Very old anvils can have been in a fire and can have been painted 100 years ago to cover that up.  It's unlikely to have been in a fire though  so a simple bounce test will be sufficient.  

Those look to be in very good shape and will probably go high in that region.

Would it be possible to get shot of the underside of the base?

 

2 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Your reasoning about a fire is not good.  Very old anvils can have been in a fire and can have been painted 100 years ago to cover that up.  It's unlikely to have been in a fire though  so a simple bounce test will be sufficient.  

Those look to be in very good shape and will probably go high in that region.

Would it be possible to get shot of the underside of the base?

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48 minutes ago, SFcollector said:

 

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5 hours ago, SFcollector said:

 

Can anyone make this weight out? Bottom is on right.

Edited August 10, 20169 yr by SFcollector
Correction

6 hours ago, Black Frog said:

Thanks, is there a pic of the painted one's side above the 202 mark? Normally you don't see that flat top "3" stamp in the 43412 serial number, but  A&H has that font in later years (and a few earlier) as that serial number would be.  Most A&H's number stamps have a round top "3" stamp in their numbers.

A&H stamped both on the right and left side of the foot at times.

That logo above the 202 stamp on the side would be a good one to get for the A&H database at is helps to fill in a gap between logo styles, so I'd love to see a picture!

 

6 hours ago, Black Frog said:

Thanks, is there a pic of the painted one's side above the 202 mark? Normally you don't see that flat top "3" stamp in the 43412 serial number, but  A&H has that font in later years (and a few earlier) as that serial number would be.  Most A&H's number stamps have a round top "3" stamp in their numbers.

A&H stamped both on the right and left side of the foot at times.

That logo above the 202 stamp on the side would be a good one to get for the A&H database at is helps to fill in a gap between logo styles, so I'd love to see a picture!

 

40 minutes ago, SFcollector said:

 

 

I am not sure why this website keeps rotating the bottom of the pic to the right?

8 hours ago, Black Frog said:

Can you post pics of both anvil's serial numbers?  And the side of the painted anvil above the 202?

Posted. I am convinced the 202 is the weight, am I right?

I bought the two anvils and also this vice (I know it is suppose to be rotated and go to floor and is to clamp your work while hammering on it but what is it and what is it worth?) as well as a bucket of blacksmith tools and the largest copper soldering iron I have ever seen

Edited August 11, 20169 yr by SFcollector
Addition

Arm& Hammer, I can see the logo on the side.  Thanks!  A good wire wheeling would show off the logo much better, and be easier to see.

It's a postvise they are generally priced by width of jaw and condition of screw and screwbox.  Very useful blacksmithing tools I have seen them sell for US$5 to US$600 for very large (8" jaws!)  mint condition ones  In general I have bought around a dozen  4" jaw ones for around $40 in Central Ohio, the last one being 2 years ago.

The screw and screwbox are like the engine in a car; you probably wouldn't want to pay as much for a car with a blown engine as one with a mint low miles engine in it.

SFcollector, 

I sent you a PM, check your messages!

I am doing some research on my Trenton anvil. I have found that it is a 100 pound but can anyone tell me what year it is?

the numbers on the left bottom are either “179841” or “7984”

thank you

We really need to see some pictures, both sides, foot under the horn and underside of the base. It might help to know where in the world you are located. Trenton anvils were made in Germany and the U.S.