Steel anvils with a properly hardened surface are good. They have a high rebound (and unfortunately a high ring), are made for forging, and will not dent as bad.
Cast iron anvils are not good. They are too soft and can crack.The anvils at HF, Northern,and places like that are cast iron.There is one exception -Harbor Freight used to carry an anvil that was Russian made from
Cast Steel.It was OK,not great,but they will work for the money.
a cast iron anvil costs about $/pound new. A steel anvil costs from $/pound and up. Used ones can be found at flea markets, antique shops, used farm equipment shops, Ebay, trader papers,and farm auctions.
All that said, any flat surface can work as a starter anvil. A HF 55# for $50 or a Northern 70# for $65 is a lot better than no anvil at all.A big 100-150# block of steel scrap from the salvage yard works quite well for $50-75.
Stacy
