what do you all think might be the culprit of these striations and holes on the feet?

Possibly made during casting?

100+kg Söderfors for those that like the details.

Cheers

Not an uncommon sight. Those are the marks from the smith testing newly hardened punches and chisels.

Naw, dem's termite holes.  Call pest control.  Just kidding, of course.  JHCC is absolutely right.  But as much as I love my anvil, I don't think I would mark it up like that just to prove my chisel/punch was "hard enough".

Gotta remember to slightly earlier smiths the anvil was a tool and replaceable like mechanic's tools nowadays are.  Why oilfield anvils for reforging cable tool drillbits tend to be seriously abused.  More important to be making hole than preserving the anvil.

(One tip for the old oilfield bridge anvils: an old 5th generation smith working in Stroud OK had one that he had welded up a frame to hold it flipped over and used the larger flat bottom to make things planer when needed.  He did a lot of plow points; but works for scrolls as well.)

I never would have guessed that one. thanks for the info.