I was wondering if you all could help me identify an date and anvil.  We've had this in our shop for at least 25 years.  it was a gift from a local farmer who is a close friend.  It weighs 145 pounds, rings like a bell and has a rebound of about 85%.  On the right side I can make out "Peter" and then a bunch of jibberish (to me) and a "0" or "O" on the lower right side.  At the lower front side is "BB".  Those are the only markings I have found.  Thanks in advance for any information you might be able to share.

Doug. 

In the second pic, I can make out what looks like "TEN" under the "PETER" and "ENGLAND" under the ten. And under all that, the weight - 1    2    11. And between the 2 and the 11 of the weight, it almost looks like a "GHT" of WROUGHT, maybe?

PETER WRIGHT

PATENT 

ENGLAND

(circluar) SOLID WROUGHT

Thanks for the info, guys.  Any idea of its age?

1 2 11 would make it  weigh around 179 pounds (stamped weight and actual weight generally are close but not exact)

I was able to weigh it.  It is right at 144 or 145 pounds.

Then the middle stone weight number is a "1", not a 2.  

1-1-11 across the side.

Date is late 19th early 20th depending on exactly when PW started stamping their anvils England.  (Originally thought to be after the 1910 act; but they may have started stamping preceding the act.)

Note that anvils usually are not considered "old" or "antique" until before the 1820's or even before 1800.  Many smiths commonly use anvils over 100 years old for daily work.

Thanks again for the info, guys.  I was just curious as to what exactly it is that we've been using for better than 2 decades.  I also need to learn to decipher the weight markings and conversion . 

American anvils are usually stamped in pounds, european in kilograms and english anvils: the old ones are generally stamped in the CWT system and the modern ones in KG.  In the CWT system the left most digit is hundredweights---112 pounds, the middle digit is quarter hundred weights, 28 pounds, and so can only be 0-3 and the rightmost digit(s) is residual pounds and so can go 0 to 27.

If in doubt---weight it!