Cool anvil encounter

[Lou L]

I had a cool little adventure trying to buy old tools.  I answered an ad on Facebook marketplace (never knew it existed until very recently) because the pictures showed a bunch of very old tools, hammers, files, etc.... 

Of course, when I got there, I practiced TPAAT and the gentleman, Dave, reluctantly admitted he had an anvil in his garage.  He made it clear that it was his grandfathers and he wasn't interested in selling it.  I promised him I wouldn't even ask for a price but I just wanted to see the anvil because of the stories he told me about it.  Apparently his grandfather was a long time handcuff and shackle maker named Hugo Foth and the anvil was the one he used to make all of his handcuffs.  Furthermore, he made handcuffs for Houdini and, as the story goes, one type of his grandfather's double lock handcuffs was to difficult for Houdini to get out of and he refused to use them.

 

So we dig through the garage and he can't find the anvil.  He has basically given up but allows me a once over et voila, I found it.  She's not pretty, but she's beautiful for sure.  The stories he told me about his grandfather were engaging.  Once I dragged the anvil out he had a rush of memories that came back to him.  He glowed as he regaled me with stories of his grandfather and how people still collect his handcuffs.  Apparently his father sold much of his grandfather's tooling to a collector long ago but he kept the anvil.  Anyway, I just loved finding an anvil and learning its provenance.  The history of the tool is written into it because his grandfather shaped grooves onto the bick for the shaping of different sized cuffs.  When I got home I searched the name, saw the cuffs and realized the grooves in the bick were a perfect match for the cuffs posted on a collector website.  Today TPAAT delivered me an anvil (that I wouldn't dare make an offer for) but, what's more, it delivered some history. 

Anyway, I promised him I would post some pictures of the anvil because I couldn't identify anything on it.  There were markings (possibly 0  3  1 English weight) and the hint of a stamping above it.  This really isn't an "identify this anvil for me" post but if you have any ideas I will pass them along to Dave so he can know more about his grandfather's anvil.  Honestly, I just thought many here would appreciate the story and the unique anvil.  To be honest, it looks as if the damage to the heel may have been intentional for use as a die as well.

the pics:

Telltale grooves.  I told Dave that collectors of handcuffs would probably kill someone to get this anvil so they could hang their Foth handcuffs on the grooves that were used to make them.

It looks like he was testing punches on the side. 

 

Hope you liked the little story,

Lou

[Mark Ling]

anvil is pre 1830, no pritchel hole, so my guess is that he bought it at least second hand, third hand,.... also so those marks on the side may not have been from him, though it almost looks like it was for rivet setting, so it would leave it with a domed head, not so much someone testing a punch.

Very very cool story! thank you for sharing it with us!

                                                                                                                              Littleblacksmith

you said it was for a tool add, did you buy any tools?

[Lou L]

I was thinking it was possibly for setting rivets as well but it seemed a strange place to work on rivets.  I wouldn't like holding work sideways on the anvil like that.  I knew it was old English and that there were loads of small anvil makers so it might be impossible to identify.  What had me confused was the shape.  Most pre-1830 anvils have that "mousehole" look to them.  My Isaac Hill is about that old and it looks more like a Mousehole as well.  This one has the Peter Wright shaping to it.  I should have done a stencil on the area where vague lettering appeared to be.

[Glenn]

(possibly 0  3  1 English weight) is 85 pounds. If the fellow is smart enough to add grooves to the horn, he may have flipped the anvil over onto its side and use the holes to work rivets. If the rivets from the cuffs match the holes, then you may have an answer.

49 minutes ago, Lou L said:

collectors of handcuffs would probably kill someone to get this anvil so they could hang their Foth handcuffs on the grooves that were used to make them.

That would be an understatement.

[gmbobnick]

Thanks for sharing that story,  That's one of probably many old metal craft specialties that I would not have readily thought about.

[Lou L]

1 hour ago, Lou L said:

I was thinking it was possibly for setting rivets as well but it seemed a strange place to work on rivets.  I wouldn't like holding work sideways on the anvil like that.  I knew it was old English and that there were loads of small anvil makers so it might be impossible to identify.  What had me confused was the shape.  Most pre-1830 anvils have that "mousehole" look to them.  My Isaac Hill is about that old and it looks more like a Mousehole as well.  This one has the Peter Wright shaping to it.  I should have done a stencil on the area where vague lettering appeared to be.

I'm correcting myself.  The anvil does have that mousehole shape...but it doesn't have the old, stocky style with the thick waist.  That's just how I picture the pre-pritchel English anvils.  I have no,idea when the waists started to get thinner.  Maybe it was one of those diet crazes.

[ThomasPowers]

Perhaps when manufacturing started to go from the one piece body with legs, horn and heel forge welded onto it to the two piece body with the base forge welded to the top at the waist---easier to weld if it's a smaller area.  Just a guess!