Trenton Anvil age Question

[BrianT]

Hi

My Dad bought a Trenton anvil at an auction today. This anvil is a beauty. There are no chips on the face, and its the first time I have seen an anvil sold on a farm auction that the horn tip is still in its original shape and not all beat up!!! The weight stamp is 100 lbs. He was curious as to how old it is. I guessed early '20's but am not sure. The ser # is A142999. Can anyone point me in the right direction as to finding when this anvil was made?

Thanks
Brian

[SteveA]

If you don't get an answer here, guys at www.anvilfire.com have a book that they can probably look up and give some idea...

Steve

[paul harm]

trenton anvils were made from 1898 to 1952. the highest number is 225,551. other than that, your guess is as good as anyones. paul

[OutWest]

Brian,

You need a copy of the book "Anvils in America" by Richard Postman, Postma Publishing, Berrien Springs, Mich. He has a copy of the original factory notebook with penciled in production serial numbers, weights and year made. Data is in his book. Trentons are very nice anvils, mine is 100+ years old and the top is still flat dispite lots of use. They do ring a lot, which speaks well of their hard top. The best way to quiet one is wrapping a chain around the waist, forget the magnets some speak of, they attract metal scale and don't work as well. Have fun!

[paul harm]

brian- i should have looked a little more. in postmans book, the letter A is not shown, but your number dates 1916. the trenton anvil was built by ' columbus forge and iron co." in columbus, ohio. they made them from 1898 to around 1953. paul