My Old English Anvil Collection, Minus The Hay Budden...

where in PA are you and are you willing to part with one for a newbie? :)

Oh, i like the old 5 legged one. I love old anvils =)

It's a sickness ;-)

Are you a blacksmith? Very nice group of anvils you have there. Perhaps you could give some pointers to those getting into the craft on where/ how to find an anvil as so many of them are looking for a "real" anvil.
I find beer can collecting is easier for me, much smaller shelves required and 2000+ of them don't take up a gymnasium size area to display. Same sort of challenge to find something rare, made in the 1930's and up, in desireable condition.
If you were to find that a beginning smith was in your area and looking for an anvil would you sell him one?
Just curious. Dan:)
:cool::cool::cool:

This is my own personal collection. Many of these makers are very rare and very few (under a dozen or so) ever found. I buy and sell other regular anvils all the time, I often give leads to other people around the country if I stumble across some for sale or know of any. Hope I don't offend too many people with this collection!

It's funny with anvils, if you don't have one they are hard to find and expensive. Once you own an anvil they seem to come out of the woodwork and are cheap. I work on a rail initially, then as soon as I cut it to look like an anvil then I ran across a 200# Trenton for free, then an American 150# dirt cheap.

Couldn't have said it better!


That's amazing! You have any good stories about how you got all them! (Unless it is something like the old woman down the street is still wondering what happened to that anvil behind the barn!:o) Just kiddin!
How long it take you to get em all out there? Oh, and did one of those stacks aver fall on your foot?:)

I believe there is a BP or FAQ on finding anvils that has worked very well for me.

LB0006 Advice and Acquisition

Thomas Powers Applied Anvil Acquisition Technique

That is quite impressive.

I love the old English anvils.

And the Hay Budden certainly does stand out from the crowd.

Some of the Old English anvils include:

T.HILL
C&A Mousehole
SMITHS
Eveson & Sons
P. Wright
James Wilkinson
Hadfield & Sanderson
ALSOP
1842 William Foster
5th Foot

The rest are mostly Unmarked and Pritchelless.

Edited August 26, 200817 yr by cbl4823

It's now probably been 20 years or so, but I ran an ad in the local small town papers that simply said, "Wanted blacksmithing equipment". I received a lot of calls and some were not worth wasting breath to discuss but I did get some gems. I traded a pair of anvils from a guy who collected them, like cbl4823, for a .22 pistol. He wanted a self defense gun for his daughter, so I got a 200 lb Fisher and a 180 lb Mousehole in the deal. He had about 10 more at his house and actually preferred to keep the ones that were the most worn.

I obtained a few prizes in that effort - one was a new condition Tiger 300 blower, which I have used at demos for the years I've owned it. None of the equipment was very expensive and in some cases free for the hauling. You just have to put the word out and keep your ears to the ground - it also helps to have the coin immediately available if you need it.

It's funny with anvils, if you don't have one they are hard to find and expensive. Once you own an anvil they seem to come out of the woodwork and are cheap. I work on a rail initially, then as soon as I cut it to look like an anvil then I ran across a 200# Trenton for free, then an American 150# dirt cheap.

Wow, lol. Too true. I am on the wrong side of that fence right now. Maybe I need to make a clay decoy of an anvil and wait in the bushes for some to show up.

Make a Styrofoam one and carry it around at fleamarkets, farmers markets, etc and see if anyone has anything like it only heavier. ;)

cbl4823, is your William Foster the one missing the heel? I have an 1828 William Foster that is missing the heel and most of the face to boot---picked it up for US$5 which was dirt cheap just for the wrought iron in it!

Nope, the Foster is normal and in good shape. The broken one is unmarked, weighs 148 pounds, I picked the broken one up for $20. I just bought an 1844 William Foster Coach Makers.

Edited August 27, 200817 yr by cbl4823

This is my own personal collection. Many of these makers are very rare and very few (under a dozen or so) ever found. I buy and sell other regular anvils all the time, I often give leads to other people around the country if I stumble across some for sale or know of any. Hope I don't offend too many people with this collection!

Don't worry about it. The green eye thing is going to be anywhere, collecting Lambourginis, peanutshells or whatever. Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder and if that is what you like...

Nope, the Foster is normal and in good shape. The broken one is unmarked, weighs 148 pounds, I picked the broken one up for $20. I just bought an 1844 William Foster Coach Makers.

Whoa! O.K. Now you have my attention. Missed that post before.
I am very serious here- will you sell that coachmakers anvil?
I am not a collector. I want it to employ it in it's intended use. Dan.:o

It's funny with anvils, if you don't have one they are hard to find and expensive. Once you own an anvil they seem to come out of the woodwork and are cheap. I work on a rail initially, then as soon as I cut it to look like an anvil then I ran across a 200# Trenton for free, then an American 150# dirt cheap.

I have to say how true this is. I am buying my first anvil and was showing the pictures around work just to have a co-worker tell me that her dad has "one of those" in the basement. She is going to check to see if Dad is willing to part with it. Oh the anvil I am buying is a 168# mouse hole. I will post pics when I pick it up

Thanks Cbl4823 for the line on the anvil :)

Edited August 27, 200817 yr by Justin Caradoc
thanks

It's the James Wilkinson that appeals to me

Possibly because it's from Sheffield, in my home County, but mainly because Wilkinsons produced some of the finest steel (and steel products) in the world for a time.