Ok..it's a Fisher 300lb.'er! so; what's it worth?

anvilring

anvilring

Joined
Nov 29, 2000
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The face is flat; some edge nicks here and there. Any ideas cus' I've got to make this guy an offer. A dollar a lb.??


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I think if you can get that anvil for $500, you are doing very well. A few months ago, I paid $400 for a slightly used 127 lb Swedish anvil and was very happy to get it.
 
$ in the real world....$300 to $500. Since you have to make him an offer....start at $75.00. Remember to walk around it several times and touch spots on it while frowning.

Then say.." HURUMP....they made a lot of these with grain that was too fine, do you know which run this came from?"

When he says "No"

You look disgusted and say..." I'll probably regret it, what about $75.00"

When he says "Hell No!"

You look shocked and say "Well what were you thinking of?"

The horse trading has now begun! ;)
 
I agree with Peter. Start real low, you might me suprised! I got my 152 pound Hay Budden (made in 1913) for $75.00 I asked hte guy how much he wanted and he said $125 and I asked if he would take $75 and he agreed.

At scrap prices of about $0.15 per pound the anvil would be worth $45. I would not be ashamed to offer him 3 times that to start. Al he can do is say no. Set the high and low limits and hopefully it ends up closer to your low end bid.

You would be suprised at how little people will take when they don't know what they have. Just to rub it in, I got my 25 pound L.G for about $300 and my Burr King model 760 for $0.00. :eek: :D :eek:

Bargains are stillout there, just hard to find, but it looks like you are on your way to a nice anvil....Good Luck.

P.S. What is the anvil guys phone number? ;)
 
Used anvils routinely go for 3 bucks a pound. Take a ball bearing with you (I use one an inch in diam.) Hold it about 18" off the face and drop it. If it bounces back almost as high as where you dropped it from it should be worth the $300.00 mentioned above.
 
Haggling tip: bring a friend along. He doesn't have to know anything about anvils, he can just stand around looking critically at the anvil and exchanging glances with you every time the guy mentions a price. Works like a charm.
 
I have a 300# Fisher made in 1916. The Fisher's were made not to have a ring. Now you can tell the dude that the anvil is dead because it doesn't ring. Like it was said earlier used anvil are going for $3.00 a pound. Good luck.
PS: I got mine at a yard sale for $200.
 
I have seen junk anvils at auctions that were less than 300, but listed as 300# go for well over a grand. Haggle your butt off but don't hold your breath.
 
This post helped me figure out who my anvil was made by. I too have a Fisher-Norris. While it is only a 100 lbs it has been well worth the 125 bucks I paid for it.
 
I have a small Fisher anvil also, made in 1863--$125 ( about 100lbs)
My other one is a 405lb HB--I paid ALOT more for that one. when you get over 300, I think you start paying a bit more, just because of the size
 
When you get up into the $500 range, why not just buy a new blacksmith anvil from Mankel Forge? I searched for a long time and found a bunch of nice used models, but most of the good ones were in the $350 - $400 range. I got the Mankel #135 shipped to the west coast for $540, delivered.

This is not intended as a criticism or a flame, just a question about anvil value. The new Mankel was in perfect condition for roughly $150 - $200 more than the best Peter Wright, Vulcan, Trenton and other anvils I found. I have used a number of old anvils and found little or no difference in rebound and "feel" between the new Mankel and the older anvils. Is it just the allure of the past or saving a few bucks? It just seemed to me that newer was better since I never had to worry about hidden cracks or other deformations, nor whether the anvil had been through a fire. To me, new was better.
 
Good question. I think it boils down to #135 vs a #300 lb anvil. Those big ole, heavy anvils are really nice. The lighter ones can jump around a lot more.

I bought my #127 lb anvil, because it was there in front of me(in near mint condition) when I had money and I liked it. I was tired of looking around for a bigger one in near mint condition(which would cost a LOT more).
 
IG is right about the fisher anvil being designed to be a "quiet" anvil i have a 400+lb Fisher and i absolutly love it! like the otheres have suggested start low and take it from there...if he has no clue what he actually has you may walk away with a gem,for little$$...good luck!
 
I use a 125# anvil mounted on top of a 400# flat anvil (used for ironwork).The combo is fairly quiet and very stable.The 125#er was given to me if I would haul it off,and the flat anvil I bought for $78 on Ebay.I got it delivered free by a fellow who bought some other equipment from the seller.He had to travel through my area with his stuff,so he dropped my anvil off on the way.Wouldn't take even gas money.Nice guy!
 
I paid $435 for my 300# Fisher

anvil2.jpg
 
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