Fisher Eagle Anvil Questions

[thehorse13]

I have very little knowledge on anvils so I figured that the folks here could help me out.

A guy has an Eagle Fisher anvil that he claims was made between 1860 and 1876. As you can see in the pictures, it is heavily worn but still looks pretty cool.

He wants 65 dollars for it and I have no idea if that's a, "you ****" price or if he is asking twice the value of scrap metal. Is this a good price?

Can the surface be shaved without great difficulty?

Thanks!

 

[Black Frog]

A guy has an Eagle Fisher anvil that he claims was made between 1860 and 1876. As you can see in the pictures, it is heavily worn but still looks pretty cool.

Can you get a better picture of the side emblem? Faceplate looks very thin for a Fisher to my eyes. Wondering if that might be a Southern Crescent anvil....

 

[thehorse13]

Can you get a better picture of the side emblem? Faceplate looks very thin for a Fisher to my eyes. Wondering if that might be a Southern Crescent anvil....

Sure. This is the only side image that I have that shows the marking.

 

[ndnchf]

That looks similar to my Fisher. Its been a while since I researched it, but I believe mine dates to the 1870s.

 

[Black Frog]

Thanks for the side picture. Any year cast under the horn?
Now that I see it better, that is the quite early emblem on the side. 1860's ballpark I'm guessing....

 

[Black Frog]

Here's a better picture of what that early Fisher logo looked like.... The early logo had the eagle holding arrows and olive branches (some say it's wheat), later on they switched to the eagle holding the anchor.

 

[thehorse13]

Thanks.

So given that there is no smithing life left in this anvil, does anyone else believe that it's worth 65 bucks just to beat and bend up cold metal on what remains of the striking surface?

 

[ndnchf]

Thanks.

So given that there is no smithing life left in this anvil, does anyone else believe that it's worth 65 bucks just to beat and bend up cold metal on what remains of the striking surface?

No not really, you can do that on an old piece of railroad track. There are good anvils around if you want one.

 

[TheBadDog]

I'm no expert, but I would agree. It's a top quality piece that served someone well for a long time, and it would be a really nice decorative or conversation piece, but I wouldn't plan for any sort of use on a anvil in that condition. As stated, a chunk of railroad rail would be more useful. But it would look really cool in my living room...

 

[Black Frog]

Is it worth $65 as a usable anvil? ...debatable.
Is it worth $65 as a cool piece to have on display? Absolutely. I'd pay that in a heartbeat for a 1860's Fisher with that sort of character.