500# Fisher , 1927

[Hayfarmer]

Hi everybody, I'm new to the group and was looking for some opinions and recommendations on this Fisher anvil. I've been trying to buy it from a long time friend for years and he finally is ready to let go of it. I'm wondering what it's actually worth . I'm willing to pay what it's worth but don't want to overpay. Any knowledge, opinions and recommendations would be appreciated. 

[George N. M.]

Dear Hayfarmersss,

Welcome aboard.  We're glad to have you.  You haven't mentioned your location which means we don't know where in the world you are.  I'm going to guess the USA but unknown region.  This affects the accuracy of responses because the fair market value of anvils varies from area to area.  The eastern US is more anvil rich and the western US is more sparce.  This is a function of population density.

That is a very nice BIG anvil in good shape and was probably originally used in some industrial shop rather than a one or 2 man operation.  It is larger than is normally needed for a one man home shop where 150-250 pounds will do nicely for just about everything.

This is only rough estimate but anvils have been running around $3-5/pound depending on make and condition.  Compare with new anvils on line.  If it were me buying from a friend I would offer in the $1500-1800 range and maybe go as high as $2k.  I'd feel like I was taking advantage of a friend if I paid less unless he knew the value and gave me a deal out of friendship.

I'm glad that you have to move it and not me.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

 One of our members Thomas Powers has one just like it and will probably weigh in with some info on it. If I remember right it was an anvil for a large Blacker power hammer.

[Hayfarmer]

Thanks George, I'm from south western Pennsylvania. One thing I noticed about it was there was not an eagle cast into it. Maybe they are only on the earlier ones? IDK

 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I did a quick search with Google for 500 pound fisher and put site:iforgeiron.com in the search string and came up with 341 results. Here is but one of the threads,

 

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

1 hour ago, Hayfarmer said:

Thanks George, I'm from south western Pennsylvania. One thing I noticed about it was there was not an eagle cast into it. Maybe they are only on the earlier ones? IDK

I read something in AinA about that, 

it says that after the civil war here in America that fisher started loosing sales to blacksmiths in the southern states because they held the eagle emblem to coincide with the union states, so they started making some of the anvils without the symbol to market to blacksmiths in the southern states, 

when I get a chance I’ll look it back up an get you a page number so you can read about it, 

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

With today's market a 500# Fisher in that condition would probably sell North of $2,500 due to it still having the base with it.   Far more than I would ever pay for an anvil. I do love Fisher's though, and my main anvil is a 260# one made in 1907.

[Daswulf]

I'd guess the eagle wasn't cast on the side due to that cutout and being purpose built for tooling or use with a power hammer? 

Better jump on it fast lol.

It looks in pristine shape and would fetch a premium. 4-5$ lb. Would be fair i would guess. Probably a dollar or two more. Easy. If you have exclusive purchase chance I wouldn't jump much above that but if it is "on the market" it may go more to some collectors. Couldn't say for sure and others may think different, just my opinion. 

 

[njanvilman]

That anvil was made for a Blacker Power Hammer.  At least four different companies made them on contract for Blacker over the years.  Fisher made them in the 1920s.  

The anvil weighs about 480 lbs.  +/-.  The base weighs about 280 lbs.

Some people use the anvil with the base if it is at the correct height, but many are removed and fitted on a stand.

The cutout was use for offset bending.  The two hardy holes gave many options for tooling.

Value is determined by location, as these are heavy and expensive to ship.  There is one of these exact anvil/base combos on EBAY now, or was recently, with a opening price of $1000. (After a few days, still no bids)   I think it is located in the upper Midwest.  If one was local to it, it is a great deal.  You are located in a more populated part of the country, so it might  command a higher price.

Remember, value is subjective.  There is no exact pricing guide for this stuff.  It usually comes down to what the seller will accept, and you are willing to pay...so that everyone leaves with a smile.

[ThomasPowers]

What I was told by the guy who got mine when the RR shop closed down: the Blacker powerhammer was interesting in that you could traverse the striking head from side to side.  The cut out allowed you to have a section where the edge of the top die was aligned with the edge of the anvil---very handy for certain tasks. While you could also have the top die striking inboard from the edge at the other places, again very handy for certain tasks.

Check on the side of the face for a couple of numbers,  NJAnvilman; I thought one was a weight and the other was a serial number---stamped in not cast proud.  Do you have any info on them?

And: back in the mid 1990's I paid 66 UScents a pound for mine in mint condition, in Columbus Ohio---without base.  Recently I sold a 248# Peter Wright with a chewed up edge for US$4 a pound here in Central New Mexico.