Trenton Anvil Serial Numbers

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  1. Free Serial Numbers
  2. Trenton Anvil History
  3. Trenton Anvil Sizes
  4. Trenton Anvil Serial Numbers Cross Reference List
  5. Trenton Anvil Company
  6. Trenton Anvil Serial Numbers Cross Reference List

That wouldn't make any difference for the year. Anvils in America list 1898 as the first year of Trenton manufacturing anvils, with serial numbers 0 to approx. 4000 being built the 1st year. Nice anvil by the way. Anvil serial numbers trenton, communigate 5.0. Fantastic flowing lines complement the metallurgy of the blade. But I think not for practical reasons, but because it may hurt the future value of the anvil.

Anvil identification, quick and dirty
Michael J. Kaiser·Thursday, October 26, 2017·
This quick and dirty guide to anvil identification is a combination of a few sources, the ABANA website (the new website does not include the older forum info, for some reason), Richard Postman’s book Anvils in America and will be updated as needed.
From the ABANA forum;
Ken Scharabok
Posted on Thursday, December 09, 2004 - 6:22 am:
This is just intended as a rough guide for identifying anvils which are not clearly marked. For more detail information see Anvil's in America by Richard Postman (and More on Anvils when it is published):
- If there is an oval depression in the bottom it may be either a Trenton. Arm & Hammer or Swedish. If there is a clear line/seam showning a top plate it would likely be a Trenton or Arm & Hammer. If the area under the heel is rough worked, it would likely be a Arm & Hammer. No seam, then I would suspect a one-piece cast Swedish.
- If there is an hourglass shaped depression on the bottom it is likely a Hay-Budden (with the exception of some manufacturer put out 50 pounders with a hourglass depression also).
- If you see a series of numbers (serial number) on the front foot, it is almost certainly to be a Trenton, Hay-Budden or Arm & Hammer. If it starts with an A, it would be an H-B. Arm & Hammers do not go over about 52,000.
- If it meets the other criteria for one of the above, and it has no serial number, it may be one of their rejects sold on the secondary market. Usually, but not always, it was due to an incomplete weld between the anvil and top plate. When they tested it, they didn't get the 'ring' all over the plate they wanted.
- If you see numbers at the waist such as 1 1 20, it is a British made anvil. This is their stone weight system to where the first number represents multiples of 112 (1/20th a long ton), second represents multiples of 28 and third is remaining pounds. Thus this would be 160 pounds (112 plus 28 times two plus 20). Usually off from scale weight a tad.
- If you see punch marks between the numbers, such as 1 . 1 . 20, it is likely a Mousehole. Sometimes all which remains are the two punch marks.
- If there are small, flat steps on top of the front and back feet it is almost certain to be an English Peter Wright.
- If it has five handling holes, with two on the front and back feet, it is almost certain to be an English Peter Wright.
- If it is the London pattern (what you would typically consider an anvil to look like) and there is no seam between the body and top plate, it may be Swedish one-piece cast steel. (However, anvil makers were sometimes very, very good at working in the seam.)
- American British and Continental Europe manufacturers made double-horned anvils, and specialty anvils, such as saw maker, carriage or plowshare anvils, so these are of little help by themselves.

Free Serial Numbers

- If you see what looks to be an Eagle on the side, it is almost certain to be a Fisher Norris. Eagle is usually holding an anchor, perhaps because Fisher made many of the big ship and shipyard anvils for the U.S. Navy. Largest anvil every known to have been made (1,400 pounds) is a Fisher.
- If you see what looks to be an arm holding a hammer on the side it could be either Vulcan or Arm & Hammer. Vulcans were raised while Arm & hammer's were stamped in. Vulcans tended to be short and blockly while A&Hs were more sleek looking.
- If the anvil has no 'ring' when struck, it is likely a cast iron body with steel plate on top. (These were sometimes called 'city anvils'.) Likely either Vulcan or Fisher. Vuncans tended to be more blocky while Fisher's were more typically of the sleeker London pattern. Older Fishers had a handling hole under the horn and heel also, while Vulcan's didn't, and newer Fishers (after the late 1800s) usually had the mold pattern date under the heel.
If you see what looks to be II&B on the front foot it would be a Vulcan (Illinois Iron and Bolt Co). Some people incorrectly think this is H&B for Hay-Budden.
- If you see what looks to be a relief of a Badger within an oval, it would be a Badger (American Skein and Foundry Co. of Racine, WI). If for sale snatch it up at almost any reasonable price as this would be a very, very rare anvil. The other American anvil considered to be rare is the Samson. After the manufacturing of Trentons moved to Cleveland, OH, one of the former owners continued to make anvils in Trenton, NJ calling them Samsons.
- If the anvil has a very narrow waist and an 'oversized' horn, likely it is one of the newer farrier anvils. These are all one piece cast steel to my knowledge.
- On aging, steps came into common use on American and British anvils about 1780. Pritchel (punching) holes about 1830. (However, some older anvils had pritchels later drilled into them.)
Any anvil with letters, numbers or logos raised, would have been at least partially cast. In the latter years of manufacturing the American wrought iron anvil makers used cast bases rather than forging them out. Sometimes the base doesn't match the top, such as a 140 pound base used for a 160 pound top.
Raised weight markings were pretty well only on cast anvils (or cast bases) and usually had the last digit left off, such as 8 representing 80 pounds or 16 representing 160 pounds.
Anvils were usually marked on the side with the horn to the right, under the horn and on the front foot. Wirebrush using soap and water to base metal. Let thoroughly dry. Lay on side and dust with flour. Brush off, leaving flour in depressions. Do same with front foot with anvil resting on heel. Sometimes lettering or numbers just jump out at you.
If you see a 'painted lady' (a painted anvil) and it meets some of the above criteria, you might take a chance on it. However, be aware a coat of paint can hide a multitude of sins and it can still turn out to be a 'prostitute', rather than a 'good woman'. Many of the new imported anvils are painted. Personally I would not be interested in an anvil with a painted top plate as there may well be body putty under it.
From Richard Postman’s “Anvils in America”, a listing of anvil names, Blacksmith and Farrier Anvil Brands, Trademarks or Tradenames:
Ajax
American-Ross
Arm and Hammer
Badger
Bay State
Black Prince
Brooks (Baker Vaughans Ltd.)
Buffalo Forge
Central Forge (cast iron)
Charles Hadfield

Trenton Anvil History

Columbus Anvil and Forging
Columbus Forge and Iron
CW
Trenton anvil serial numbers list
Denver
DuraSteel
Fireside
Fulton
Hay Budden
Herculies
Insonora
JHM Anvils
Keen Kutter
Kohlswa
Louisville Forged Anvil
Mankel
Mouse Hole
NC-Tool
Serial numbers for electronics
Old Forge
Onsteel
Pedinghaus
Rat Hole Forge
Refflinghaus
Rock Island
Sampson
Sligo
Soderfors
Standard
Trenton
'USA' cheap cast iron
Vanadium Steel
Vulcan Arm-Hammer
Wilkinson
WT (Wholsale Tool - cast iron)
How to date your Mousehole anvil
Mousehole Forge anvils can be dated from their logos: (These are all circa - about - dates and the words would be stacked):
1795 - 1820: C&A MOUSEHOLE
1835 - 1854: HENRY ARMITAGE MOUSEHOLE
1878: BROOKS & COOPER MOUSEHOLE FORGE SHEFFIELD WARRANTED (with the outline of a mouse and HOLE for the first time)

Trenton Anvil Sizes

1879: M&H ARMITAGE MOUSEHOLE FORGE SHEFFIELD WARRANTED (mouse) HOLE PATENT
1880: M&H ARMITAGE MOUSE HOLE FORGE (mouse) HOLE WARRANTED
1896: M&H ARMITAGE MOUSEHOLE FORGE SHEFFIELD WARRANTED PATENT (mouse) HOLE

Trenton Anvil Serial Numbers Cross Reference List

1911: M&H ARMITAGE MOUSEHOLE FORGE SHEFFIELD ENGLAND WARRNANTED (mouse) HOLE PATENT
1927-1933?: OWEN-THOMAS THE OLD FORGE SHEFFIELD ENGLAND

Trenton Anvil Company

- C&A = Cockshutt & Armitage
- Mousehole Forge is the only known manufacturer to use dots/periods between the weight numbers, such as 1 . 3 . 14. Sometimes all which remains of the logo is the dots.
- Weight markings are in the British stone system to where the first represents multiples of 112 (1/20th long ton), the second multiples of 28 and the third remaining pounds. Usually off from scale weight a bit.
- Mousehole Forge was one of the last British anvil makers to change from the old style to the modern (more blocky) feet. They did so cicra 1895.
- The origins of the name of Mousehole is not certain. The square handling holes in an old anvil are called mouseholes. In England a bend in a river with a deep spot is known as a mousehole and Mousehole Forge was located at such as spot. There is a coastal English town named Mousehole and it was well known as the site of a brief French invasion about the time the forge was started.

Trenton Anvil Serial Numbers Cross Reference List

- Mousehole Forge contined to use water power (heave or tilt hammers) long after other manufactures switched to mechanical hammers. All Mousehole anvils are pretty well 'handmade'.
Sources; http://www.anvilsinamerica.com/products.htm, https://abana.org/resources/discus/messages/5/385.html?1453331121
The Mousehole Forge by Richard A. Postman (with John and Julia Hatfield)