Hello everyone

Is there someone who can help me identify the brand of this anvil please?

It looks like the first word is crafted but the rest i can't read it. It is not mine. Only an anvil on an ad.

Thanks

That's one of the best anvil stands I've ever seen!  Did you do the carving?  Sorry, I have no info on this anvil but there are more knowledgeable people on her that might know.  If that carving on the anvil stand had duplicated the carving on the anvil stand in the actual carving, technically that picture would have went on forever 

Hahaha that would have been awesome then! It is not mine though.

John_zxz is a friend of mine. It's been 2 days that we browse the web to identify it. Nobody has a clue ?

Why have you not posted better pictures---like with the flour trick?

This is not my anvil. The pictures are from an ad. I want to know the brand to get a better idea of it's true value before investing on it. 

Well if you want to *use* it; you don't need to know the age or maker. All you need to know is the result of the ball bearing test and the ring test  which with a picture of the face and the weight  will give you the using status for that type of anvil. Like we used to do for many decades  before Postman's book came out.

Any brand of anvil can have gone through a structure fire and be soft and any brand of anvil can have a hidden crack in it. Pictures and maker's marks won't show those MAJOR types of defects.

I have a "rare" brand anvil; it had the heel broken off and I paid about 30 cents a pound for it and use it for heavy hammering. I have "common brand" anvils and use them extensively. The weight, face condition, hardness and style  control their usability not their maker or age.

Of course I am a user not a collector and so am concerned with using factors and price.

Agreed. Go look at it, test it for rebound(hardness of the faceplate) , and tap it with a hammer to check for any cracking/ delamination.  If it checks out, and it meets your condition and price range - buy it. No need to worry about who made it, as all that does is gives someone else time to swoop in on it. I know anvils are not super abundant up in the Great White North, so if it is priced right you better not hesitate.

And also Agreed; if it is publically for sale, the half life  of a "good deal" on an anvil can be measured in hours if not minutes.  You generally need your cash to hand and get them to agree to hold it for you as you are on your way with the cash!   Private sales can be a bit more leisurely; but I've know them to be lost through others learning of it and either telling the owner to jack up the price to outrageous levels or buy it out from under you. 

To evaluate the price and the condition there is no problem. I used TPAAAT quite often!

 

In this case it is really the curiosity to know the maker....  Personally I guess it's a Mousehole or Wilkinson

I can't get either of those names in the stampings shown; but as England had over 200 anvil manufacturers many of them make quite similar looking anvils. (having learned the craft in other anvil manufacturers shops...), there are a lot of other choices out there.

Hmm could the second? line be Warranted? If so most likely not Mousehole as according to Postman's "Mousehole Forge" the stampings that used Warranted had a lot of lines more. 

I just figured out the brand stamped on it. It is a Henry Van Wart Best Scrap warranted anvil. I saw on another anvil the same stamp but more readable.

Thanks for your help anyway. I don't need this anvil. I was only curious of what brand it is.

Thomas, It was when you mentioned Warranted that I was able to do a better research on google. Thanks!

Looks like a crack developing where the heel weld lined up with a face section weld.  Just be sure to do your heavy hitting over the sweet spot and give some thought to making a "remote" hardy hole I keep finding heavy scrap with them built in already!