Need opinions from Anvil Pros

[clenceo]

I picked up this Henry Wright Dudley anvil a few days ago.

I used a wire wheel to clean it up. A few questions.... at the base, there's the #5 stamped on the corners. Any significance?

Also, I'm concerned about de-lamination. I lightly smoothed the edges to remove any sharp corners. But, there is one area that looks cracked. I don't want to blindly grind away without consulting more opinions. Overall, I think it's a very well preserved anvil. 

Thanks for looking!

[njanvilman]

Just use it properly by only hitting hot metal on it, do not strike the face with a hammer directly, and have it mounted securely.  The anvil has lasted through more than a hundred years of use already.  Unless you are using a huge hammer and very large stock, you should not be doing any damage by using it.

[clenceo]

Thank you for your reply. I'm a novice, but finding my self searching for anvils every day. I feel an emotional attachment to each one I come across and curious about the history. This one I picked up belonged to the gentleman's father that passed away several years ago. I found it laying in the field, but remembered his father using it. 

My intentions with this anvil are not for heavy usage/abuse. I have my forklift fork anvil that I made for heavy fun stuff. I just want to insure that I can dress the edges of the anvil, and prevent any of the cracks from walking.

[ThomasPowers]

Yes there is a significance to the 5; now we don't know what it is; could be an inspector's mark, team that did the forging, month it was forged in, etc and so on.