Help Identify This Antique English Anvil – 126.5 lbs

[cgharrington]

Looking for opinions from the anvil experts.


I recently picked up this 126.5 lb London-pattern anvil and have been trying to identify the maker.


Specs:

• Weight: 126.5 lbs
• Overall length: ~16”
• Face width: ~4”
• Height: ~13”
• Hardy hole and pritchel hole both original
• Heel intact
• Horn intact
• No visible weld repairs
• Excellent rebound (approximately 95% using a marble drop test from 14”)
• No obvious face delamination or dead spots

What I’ve found so far:

• Construction appears to be a wrought iron body with a forge-welded tool steel face.
• The side stamp is almost completely worn away.
• The proportions and weight seem consistent with an English cwt-pattern anvil (approximately 1 cwt, 0 qr, 14 lb).
• Based on shape alone, I’ve considered Peter Wright, Mouse Hole Forge, and other English makers, but I don’t have enough evidence to make a definitive identification.

I’m not looking for guesses—I’d really appreciate opinions backed by identifiable features such as:

• Foot shape
• Waist profile
• Horn geometry
• Hardy hole placement
• Forge-weld characteristics
• Stamp location and style

If anyone recognizes this pattern or sees details I’ve overlooked, I’d love to hear your thoughts.


Thanks in advance. Looking forward to learning more about this old survivor.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

I’m not looking for guesses—I’d really appreciate opinions backed by identifiable features such as:

Limiting choices to English anvils Peter Wright is a decent guess.... but they are generally well marked. That is a fairly common anvil pattern.

The side stamp is almost completely worn away.

I don't see any stamping at all in your pics. Is there something discernable that isn't worn away? Without physical access or even partial markings remote positive ID is a tall order.

 

[cgharrington]

It is a tough one. I don’t know. I’m not sure how to go about looking for markings beyond what I did. I just put some oil on it and looked at different angles. I’m not sure if I can use some other kind of technique to help show markings and it’s weird. It looks like it’s hammer forged. I don’t see a lot of wear on it like someone grinding it or something. It’s more just kind of a rough finish I guess based on the photos I just don’t know.. driving me crazy…

 

[cgharrington]

Other pics.

 

[four.cycle]

British anvil makers
Armitage (Sheffield)
Brooks (Sheffield - sucessors to M. & H. Armitage & Co.)
Thomas Hill (Sheffield)
Peter Wright (Dudley)

no doubt there were more.
every Peter Wright I've seen was marked all over.

> gracesguide.co.uk

> www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk

 

[RTM]

I’m not sure how to go about looking for markings beyond what I did.

A flashlight at low angle is my favorite. Move it in a circle around your target area, trying to create shadows that might bring up a logo or text

 

[cgharrington]

British anvil makers
Armitage (Sheffield)
Brooks (Sheffield - sucessors to M. & H. Armitage & Co.)
Thomas Hill (Sheffield)
Peter Wright (Dudley)

no doubt there were more.
every Peter Wright I've seen was marked all over.

> gracesguide.co.uk

> www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk

Which anvil do you think it might be if no markings are visible

 

[four.cycle]

not a clue. I'm definitely no anvil expert, and I doubt that my "list" is complete - that's only three makers.

 

[Firebrick43]

American manufactures made London pattern anvils as well with wrought iron bases and steel faces. Hay Budden was the most common but there were dozens of smaller forges producing them as well before the 1900's

With that anvil being so beat, no corners left, sow bellied in the face, damaged pritchel, damaged point on the horn, and no makers mark, no stone weight, what is the point?

@Oregon rock crusher is right about peter wrights, all the ones at the club I belong to and mine are very well marked.

And there would be no good reason to hammer on that point or deface it unless someone was trying to pawn off a cheap anvil as a more desirable one.

 

[cgharrington]

FOUND IT BOYS!!!

Not sure yet what the marks mean, but look at the side. It’s faint but clearly markings. An upside down 4? And maybe a C?

 

[cgharrington]

BUT WAIT… there’s more!

 

[cgharrington]

FYI, the face is very flat. Would like t make sense to hard face the edges and mill it perfectly flat and crisp 90 corners with a slight chamfer?

 

[four.cycle]

I need to get my eyes checked maybe. I'm not seeing what you are seeing.
Sometimes rubbing a bit of chalk over the surface and then wiping it will bring the details out more clearly.
Like so:

 

[strength_and_power]

Reach out to Andrew at Blacksmith Tools. His collection of anvils and other tools is impressive. I’ve been to his shop a few times and its just wow.

https://blacksmithtoolssupplyco.com/

 

[cgharrington]

I need to get my eyes checked maybe. I'm not seeing what you are seeing.
Sometimes rubbing a bit of chalk over the surface and then wiping it will bring the details out more clearly.
Like so:

Overall reading


12 AV48976


I still believe this is not the manufacturer’s serial number, but rather a shop, railroad, military, or industrial inventory stamp applied after the anvil left the factory.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I was more curious about what appears to be two opposing forks. But again, it's very difficult to make out anything from those images.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Based on this picture you posted there is good chance it is a Trenton anvil. Sometimes the Trenton stamping used a stylized N so that it resembles a large X but your side stamping is obliterated. That oval dish shape under the base and the S/N location are consistent with Trenton. Something to look at anyway. Ed.

 

[four.cycle]

^ Thanks.
Here are examples of "Trenton" for comparison purposes. Probably not a lot of help, as none of them are going to show the bottom.

see also: www.watersironworks.com/anvil-manufacturers/

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

A few bits of Trenton information....

 

[cgharrington]

Based on this picture you posted there is good chance it is a Trenton anvil. Sometimes the Trenton stamping used a stylized N so that it resembles a large X but your side stamping is obliterated. That oval dish shape under the base and the S/N location are consistent with Trenton. Something to look at anyway. Ed.

I cleaned up the characters w welding paint

 

[cgharrington]

Does this looks like a forging delamination gap?

 

[cgharrington]

A few bits of Trenton information....

Looks identical

 

[cgharrington]

A few bits

I have what appears to be a possible Trenton anvil, and I’m hoping those familiar with Trenton manufacturing practices can help answer one specific question.


The front edge of the base is stamped “AV48976” (or possibly “AV 48976”). After comparing it with reference photos in American Wrought Anvils, I noticed that Trenton serial numbers were hand-stamped individually in this exact location on the front foot using steel number punches.


My questions are:

1. Did Trenton ever use letter prefixes (such as “AV”) as part of the factory serial number?
2. Or would you expect 48976 to be the actual factory serial number, with the “AV” added later by an owner, blacksmith, railroad, military, or another organization for inventory purposes?
3. Has anyone documented Trenton anvils with letters preceding the serial number?
4. If you’ve seen similar markings, what did they ultimately turn out to represent?

The anvil also has the recessed oval dish under the base and the serial number is located exactly where Trenton is known to stamp them, but the side logo has been worn away by corrosion.


I’d appreciate any examples, photos, or documentation from original Trenton catalogs or surviving anvils that might help determine whether the “AV” is factory-applied or a later ownership mark.

 

[CADjockey]

You can see the anvil in person, while we are looking at photos...
Is it possible that the stamping is "120 A148976"?

Would this format change anything in regards to the serial number?

 

[four.cycle]

^ I don't like to speculate, but is there any possibility that the "120" was the weight and the rest of the characters are "serial number"?

 

[CADjockey]

<grins> exactly what I was thinking @four.cycle.

 

[RTM]

^ I don't like to speculate, but is there any possibility that the "120" was the weight and the rest of the characters are "serial number"?

If that’s a hundredweight system, probably not, it should be

112s
28s
#s

So unless they missed a middle zero which could give 132#

(I started poking that bear last night.). Just looked, Trenton did not use hundredweight, so NVM.

And are you sure that’s a V and not an M? in the other sequence of ## of course.

 

[cgharrington]

^ I don't like to speculate, but is there any possibility that the "120" was the weight and the rest of the characters are "serial number"?

Makes sense… it weighs 126.5lbs

 

[cgharrington]

If that’s a hundredweight system, probably not, it should be

112s
28s
#s

So unless they missed a middle zero which could give 132#

(I started poking that bear last night.). Just looked, Trenton did not use hundredweight, so NVM.

And are you sure that’s a V and not an M? in the other sequence of ## of course.

I’m gonna look again now…

 

[cgharrington]

You can see the anvil in person, while we are looking at photos...
Is it possible that the stamping is "120 A148976"?

Would this format change anything in regards to the serial number?

 

[esben57]

British anvil makers
Armitage (Sheffield)
Brooks (Sheffield - sucessors to M. & H. Armitage & Co.)
Thomas Hill (Sheffield)
Peter Wright (Dudley)

no doubt there were more.
every Peter Wright I've seen was marked all over.

> gracesguide.co.uk

> www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk

Mousehole Forge. Very close to me, the building still stands in the Rivelin valley and would have used the river Rivelin to drive the wheel.
I was working around the area on deliveries so visited regularly, sure there are or were guided visits.
An elderly couple still lived in the attached cottage. Lady collected drinking mugs and had a vast display on the walls.
Must have been one night some thieves got into the grounds and stole the original anvil. Some task. A replacement anvil was donated but there was some history in the original.

 

[esben57]

^ Thanks.
Here are examples of "Trenton" for comparison purposes. Probably not a lot of help, as none of them are going to show the bottom.

see also: www.watersironworks.com/anvil-manufacturers/

Mousehole Forge – RVCG

rivelinvalley.org.uk

 

[cgharrington]

New photos after a few more rust converter and cleaning sessions

 

[cgharrington]

Close up of the only stamping that survives

 

[cgharrington]

The clean example is a stamp marked in the same area on a 126lb Trenton

 

[cgharrington]

Notice this line below the anvil face. Mine has the same line. What is that?

 

[3baygarage]

Notice this line below the anvil face. Mine has the same line. What is that?

I don't know much about anvils but I think I remember reading something, maybe here, about the top portion being more hardened. The rest absorbs the blows. Two pieces forged together I would think.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Notice this line below the anvil face. Mine has the same line. What is that?

Richard Postman wrote an excellent book called Anvils in America. With your thirst for knowledge you should probably pick up a copy. Covers imports as well as domestics. Here are a couple pics from the text that should answer this question. Trenton anvils were prone to breaking at the waist on the original forge weld line. It is likely that a blacksmith who suffered this failure would make his own repair. Any original markings could be obliterated by the repair. Ed.

 

[CADjockey]

Ahhh! Thank you for sharing that information! I was unaware of that. Might have to look for that book too!