Good afternoon gents. Today at lunch I went to see a 340+ lbs Fisher anvil I was planning on purchasing but instead saw this and bough it instead. He thought it could be a very early example of a Peter Wright but because of the overly pitted surface from most likely decades of outside exposure there is no outwardly signs of who made it.

The weight markings are still visible as you can see so I'm hoping by the shape and style of the markings maybe it can be clues to the maker. The numbers dictate that it's 221 lbs and I'll confirm when I put it on the scale when I get home, it does feel like it's that much if not more.

The top surface is almost as pitted at the rest of the body but is amazingly flat. My 1" ball does a nice bounce of the pitted surface, nearly 80% return, and it has a very beautiful ring to it.

I'm hoping you all can help solve the mystery of what this is. I'm toying with the idea of milling the top surface smooth but a part of me says to leave it as is. What is your thoughts.

Thanks in advance to all that reply!

Looks more like a Mousehole (aka The Undisputed King of Anvils) or from someone who trained at Mousehole Forge before setting off on their own (as many did). Mousehole typically had round dots punched between the numbers of the weight marking, but that pitting would make it almost impossible to see.

Too bad about the pitting on the face, but that should work itself out in time, the more you hammer hot steel on it. No grinders!

Nice find. I've seen pictures of double-horned Mouseholes before and always thought one would be cool and useful.

I wouldn't mill the face. Just hammer hot metal on it. It'll shine up and smooth out.

Thanks, it just didn't feel right to take off metal that was put there over a hundred years ago. 

I don't see a plate on the face.  Is it cast steel?

 

 

7 hours ago, MotoMike said:

I don't see a plate on the face.  Is it cast steel?

 

 

Yes there is, you have to look very closely but its there. The more I look at it the more I love it. I'll probably get rid of my other one's except my 205# Peter Wright. I think 2 200+#er's are enough.

The joint between the steel face plate and the wrought iron body on my own Mousehole is also nigh-invisible. It’s a nice feature: you don’t have to worry about that joint line marring the underside of the workpiece when you’re working a right angle over the edge.

Dunno who made it, but it’s a nice Yorkshire pattern anvil, pretty cool find this side of the Atlantic!

It's a shame we can't figure out the age. Is there a guide out there that could help?

Anvil designs didn’t change much, so dating an anvil almost always depends on the markings (serial numbers, changes in trademark,etc). Without those — or even knowing the maker — you’re probably out of luck. 

I bought a HB in mid Oho that had spent 50 years stored in an unheated shed in a swampy area near a creek. It's face had condensation pitting over the entire surface.  I wire brushed off the loose rust and started forging hot steel on it and now the sweet spot is smooth and shiny with the pitting still showing the further you get from the sweet spot. (In fact it went to a demo yesterday and saw 6 hours of continuous use...)