Can anyone out there with a AIA book help me with a date on a Trenton anvil? It's a little hard to read the serial number but it looks like- Z529 or A529 (or 7029?) Any help will be greatly appreciated

John

Edited October 29, 200817 yr by jedsdad05
adding info

Rub chalk or charcoal into the number, then wipe it off the surface. The increased contrast will make it a lot easier to read.

Another trick is to light it from the side, light at an oblique angle makes surface detail like stamped digits stand out better.

Frosty

Another method is to rub shaving cream onto it and then squeegee off the surface with a piece of cardboard or rubber or something flat.

Great idea to try the shaving cream! I was able to read the weight and most of the serial number...slight damage to one side makes it impossible to be 100% sure. Serial number looks like A 70290

Anybody with a "Anvils In America" book mind looking up the date for me? I don't have the book yet. Thanks!

I've got a Trenton too and would appreciate it if someone looked this up. I took a look at the numbers. There was a 60 at the bottom left if the horn is pointed right at you. At the bottom right was 19709 Can't really read anything on the side except the "enton" because it looks like someone chiseled the side extensively.

I didn't see any reference to the "A" prefix.....but serial number 70290 would be made in 1907.

19709 would be from 1900

Rob

Thanks Rob...I was unsure if I even saw the "A" prefix because of a chip in the foot. I've seen other Trenton's that did have an "A" prefix to the serial number so I thought this one might. '07 sounds about right...thanks!

I have a 150 lb. Trenton with an A 120314. Could you look up the mfg. date? Thanks


http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/11580/size/big/cat//ppuser/121

Edited November 1, 200817 yr by Gary
Wrong pic came up.

114001-12200 1913

i've got a trenton too and would appreciate it if someone looked this up. I took a look at the numbers. There was a 60 at the bottom left if the horn is pointed right at you. At the bottom right was 19709 can't really read anything on the side except the "enton" because it looks like someone chiseled the side extensively.

106001-11400=1912

jedsdad05 said:

great idea to try the shaving cream! I was able to read the weight and most of the serial number...slight damage to one side makes it impossible to be 100% sure. Serial number looks like a 70290

 

76902
74001-8200 =1908

 

Thanks jimbob!

How bout 60048?

Actually your serial number according to the picture in the other thread is A60047. Trenton started over with the A prefix to the serial numbers.

I have a Trenton Anvil weighing 185lbs and the serial is 178382. If anyone could help me date this Anvil I would very much appreciate the help.

Edited September 16, 20205 yr by Mod30
Remove italic & bold type.

Welcome aboard, typing in bold italic's is frowned upon. I imagine one of the moderators will correct that. Someone with a copy of AIA (Anvils in America) will be along shortly to give an idea of when your anvil was made. How about some pictures of it? If you read enough you will discover we love pictures. Have you seen this thread?  READ THIS FIRST

I have a Trenton anvil any info would be appreciated!  Thx

Hello and welcome to the forum! 

if you haven’t yet then you might wanna take a look at the (read this first thread) it’s full of information on how to use, navigate and get the most out of IFI,

as far as your anvil goes we kinda need some more information to help give you more insight,

if you can, we need pictures of the anvil, and also we need the serial numbers if you want to know the date, 

Also theres an awesome book called Anvils in America thats has a wealth of information about Trenton anvils if you would like to know more in depth about them, 

 

You have a Trenton anvil. That’s all you gave us, so that’s all we can give you! If you read some of the posts and see that pictures and other information helps us, then we can help you 

Okay I see your pictures now,

I think your serial reads 98544, if that’s it then your anvil was made in 1911, 

trenton was an American wrought anvil company 

it looks like it’s in pretty usable shape, don’t worry about those chipped edges, 

don’t do any grinding to it! But you can clean it up with a wire wheel if you want without any damage, 

to check the rebound take a ball bearing an a ruler an see how far the bearing bounces back up, 

 

 

Looks like I was posting at the same time as Twisted, I couldn’t see the pictures at the time I posted, so if they were there I apologize because all I could see at that time was “ I have a Trenton”. I can’t give any information on the date, but you have a nice anvil, with some edge damage, but it is still a good anvil as long as it still has a good rebound. 

Thx guys so much!  It’s truly appreciated any idea on what one’s worth just wanna know if I over paid lol

Also that number 100 to the left should be weight in pounds correct?

Yes that’s the weight, 

as far as anvil values go, that’s really dependent on region and country,

for instance I bought a 109# Peter Wright a couple days ago for a little over $2 a pound but I’m in eastern Oklahoma, that same anvil might sell $3-$5 a pound in another state or city,

 

T, I don’t know where you live or what the anvil weighs, (you can put one that size on a bathroom scale to find out) but looking at it in my area I wouldn’t give more than $2-2.50 a pound for it 

Welcome aboard Tyler, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you'll have a chance to hook up with members living within visiting distance. Also lots of information is location specific, as you can tell from responses about your anvil, where it is makes a BIG difference. My corner of Alaska is blacksmith tool poor and anvils go fast at $7-8/lb. but getting $10/lb. isn't uncommon. Guys here often buy new and bite the bullet for shipping because it's cheaper.

Don't mistake ASKING price for SALE price. I've seen guys asking $2,000+ for a 100lb anvil. No, sorry bud, it's rusty, neither vintage nor antique. There was a 6" leg vise advertised for $2,800 here for must've been 3 years. Then one day is was gone, just gone. Turns out the guy's wife asked around, discovered it was actually worth maybe $200 and sold it to a guy in our club for $100 to get it out of the way.

Frosty The Lucky.