I picked this up at a flea market for a dollar.  I figure it goes its a hardy tool or some sort of small stump anvil. I believe it’s wrought iron.

Picture?

Picture added

Picture from the top so I can tell if it's a hardy, a fuller or a denglestock?  

I hope you asked the seller if they had any other such stuff.  I once bought an anvil that way.  Bought the hardy at the fleamarket and asked them where the anvil it went to was---sitting at home on the carport with the original paper lable still on the side! Bought that too.

I'd go with possibly a denglestock, used to sharpen scythes in the field by hammering the edge.

I was thinking that too. Although most I've seen have a pointed shaft for pounding into a stump. Could be a hardy tool for some long ago special job. These are the denglestock's I'm used to seeing.

Well I don’t plan on putting a handle on my scythe but I figured for a dollar I wasn’t going to pass it up.  Should I clean it up and if so what’s the recommendation?

I didn’t even think to ask her if she had anything else.  The rest of her tent was just clothes, games, and one small handful of rusty tools.  

I would just wire wheel it and coat with oil or BLO. If you plan to use it hammering hot steel on the face will shine it up.

The scythe sharpening field anvils that I've seen (I have one but in the move to Laramie it is in a box, otherwise I would post a pic) have a sharp spike base for hammering into the ground and some sort of "ears" to keep it from going too far into the ground.  I'd say what Graywall has is some sort of anvil tool, the square peg base and large defined shoulder really say hardie tool to me.  Great buy for a buck.  I'd spark test it to get an idea of whether it is wrought iron or steel.  That might give an indication of age.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Well all that said what’s this?  I found it at my grandpa’s farm after he passed and my cousin was selling the farm.  It was in the funny contraption so I grabbed it figuring that end part was some sort of small stump anvil.

The first picture is a scythe sharpening stump anvil for sure. Probably used the pick axe head to replace the stump if none were close, it could be driven into the ground.

Thanks.  I wasn’t sure it was unfortunately I’m not sure what he used it for when he did this.  Can’t imagine he was using a scythe the last 30 years but could surprise me.

I have one with a sq top and the shaft with two strips of steel through a center hole curled to either side to keep it from driving too far.

I wonder how old that iron is.

Probably as old as the Earth!

Nope; iron is supernova excreta; older than the earth!

What makes your blood red is interstellar shrapnel from many sources. Picture THAT one if you'd like to take a little mind journey. 

Frosty The Lucky.

Yes we are all Stardust!

and from dust we came, and to dust shall we return

"we are stardust, we are golden,

we are billion year old carbon,

and we got to get ourselves 

back to the garden" 

Touching guys but how about those of us who are just supernova dust? 

Frosty The Lucky.

We will pity you.

The square dengelstock tend to have some rounding on the top. I think this one was hammered into a stump rather than the ground, as it is quite short and doesn't have a hole with the cross pieces used to spread the force on the ground. 

Going back to the O. P. photo, there are also a host of different similar stake anvils in the sheet metal world.  They often get specific names related to the job like  "teakettle stake" and "candle-mold stake" but most are more generic.

Here's an old example of only 3 (plus bigger stakes)...but the range of these small insert stakes is so broad that they are probably more common in the sheet metal world than the smithing world. Round tops, oval tops, hex tops, square tops, rectangular tops, etc.  Most have a square post similar to an anvil hardy tool.