JT Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Hello I'm looking at this coach makers anvil.. the owner says he can find no markings on it.. its a massive 405 lbs. it has two lines going across the face that can be seen in the photos.. should this be a concern ?? its said to just be the way the face was welded to the base in three pieces ?? thanks for any comments !! JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuppiejr Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I was just reading Richard Postman's other anvil book today (Mousehole Forge, page 68) and he specifically indicated that many early Mousehole anvils had the shear steel plates welded in pieces rather than a single plate, larger anvils = more plates that make up the face. That anvil looks well taken care of, check rebound and listen for any strangeness in the ring (should ring like a bell if it's not got any serious cracks, etc..) and buy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT Posted October 3, 2016 Author Share Posted October 3, 2016 3 minutes ago, Yuppiejr said: I was just reading Richard Postman's other anvil book today (Mousehole Forge) and he specifically indicated that many early anvils had the tool steel plates welded in pieces rather than a single plate, larger anvils = more plates that make up the face. That anvil looks well taken care of, check rebound and listen for any strangeness in the ring (should ring like a bell if it's not got any serious cracks, etc..) and buy it! thank you Yuppiejr !! going by the seller.. he says it has good rebound I haven't seen it in person or tested it .. what are your thoughts to a fair value ?? JT sorry I was just informed that this anvil sold today.. JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuppiejr Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Wait a minute, didn't you just score that sweet Peter Wright anvil that the lady held for you at the store earlier in the week? Man you've got some skills/luck at finding the nice ones, another beautiful example there! Well, if that is an early Mousehole anvil it should have it's markings on the opposite side pictured, perhaps he can send you a shot of what's on the other side with a bit of chalk rubbed to fill the low spots and then rubbed off? That anvil looks to be in nearly perfect condition, clean edges and table, no significant damage on the edges, and at 400 pounds it's a relatively uncommon size... To the right buyer that could easily be a $2000+ anvil. I recently sold a very rare farrier size anvil for $8 a pound to someone who was particularly interested in it's pedigree and condition. I've sold "working man" anvils with various types of wear for between $2 and $3 a pound which seems in line with what they went for at quad state this year. I've seen people rescue 100+ lb anvils from the scrapyard for $20... It really depends on the market, and what the seller is looking for. I paid a bit more than I should have in today's market for a Buffalo rivet forge with blower because a woman was selling some of her ex-husband's tools after he left her with 3 kids to take care of... I've paid less than I should have by watching auctions or helping someone who just wanted the heavy chunk of metal out of their way. So, what's fair? Finding the right collector who would appreciate that anvil as more than a tool and pay him $5 a pound or more could take him years... but really $1200 ($3 a pound) is probably as low as I'd consider "fair" given the current prices in the market around me given the size and condition. If it's a friend or relative perhaps they simply want to see it stay in the family? Honestly that's probably a once in a lifetime find if you don't spend a LOT of time and miles looking for anvils, as long as it hasn't lost it's temper in a fire or isn't some really good gray iron cast knockoff its probably worth whatever he/she asks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I've seen the anvil- a nice piece. Tool steel was expensive and not found in larger pieces back then, it was common on larger anvils to have the plate made up of several pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT Posted October 3, 2016 Author Share Posted October 3, 2016 yes I was very lucky and did score that Peter Wright on Thursday !! the seller on this one was asking $1750.00 or best offer but just told me it sold today I don't know what the actual selling price was.... JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yuppiejr Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Nice, honestly that price seems pretty reasonable for the anvil pictured/described. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matei campan Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 what a beautiful anvil! I have two French anvils on which you can actually see the pieces of steel of which the faces are made. one it seems like been made of little bricks (something like 2.5/1cm), the other one is made from 5 bars welded parallel to the length of the anvil. the horns have thinner steel welded on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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