After a long search and after buying 3 other anvils, two farrier ones at 40K each and one little Kohlswa at 25k, finally came across a decent size anvil in working conditions. There are a lot of extremely abused ancient clumps of metal sold as anvil around here, with price tags that would make your toes curl upwards. This one was advertised for 2.5 times the price I paid for it. And I still paid a good sum. 

It's a Peter Wright marked 206 so 230 pounds. Surprisingly clean face particularly around the hardy hole, almost no use in that area. Plenty of marks of abuse on the sides ... chisel marks it seems, and someone's initials welded on the other side, fortunately had the decency to leave the manufacturer's marks alone. On one side there is a letter D and on one of the legs the letter W.

As you can hopefully see from the photos, one edge has a marked long chamfer that I can clean up and make it into a nice radius for forging. The opposite edge has two big chips, the biggest is about 6mm deep into the face and 10mm down the side but it has a radius so measuring from the edge at 45 degrees, it is about 3-4mm deep. The second chip is smaller.

i could of course make another radius and make the chips disappear but I am afraid that it is a bit too much metal to take off. I could also add a bit of weld to the small area of the bigger chip so that the radius will not need to be that deep. I am however reluctant to do so and compromise the heat treatment even when it is a very small area. 

I could also ignore it and just round the edges off and use it when I need a bigger radius. 

It rings like a bell particularly at the heel and has a very nice bounce.

Would also like to grind off those initials left on her by someone about 50 years ago according to the seller. 

Sorry about the upside down photos.

I would leave the anvil alone and just use it.

Previous owners marks are part of the history of the anvil.  Instead of removing them, why don't you add yours with a date.  Just stamp them in, do not weld them on.