I have an Trenton anvil and was wondering where to find the age of it and maybe some history. The # I found is X95 100531. I assume the first is the weight, and the latter the serial number. Earliest American Made Trenton Anvil, 120 lbs. The Columbus Forge and Iron Company began making anvils in 1898. The serial A1048, numbers of this anvil dates it to the first year of production.Modeled after the German Trenton of earlier times, this anvil was the first of many anvils made with the new 3 piece construction.
> More to the point, amongst the nearly complete set of blacksmith
>tools I am now the proud owner of is the anvil. It is marked
>underneath the horn, on the foot, with a series of stamped
>numbers/letters. The first character looks like a capital T with a
>capital Z that has been rotated clockwise 45 degrees stamped over the
>top of the T; not above it, but in the same space as the T.
>Following that is '157' a bit of a space, and then 'A86799' I have
>not found any other legible markings. All the characters are about
>1/2' tall. The anvil has a seam visible at the waist, and a fine line
>visible where the top plate is attached. It has both a hardie and
Trenton Anvil Company
>pritchel hole also. It has a nice ring to it when struck.> Is that enough information for anyone to identify the beast?
>Brad Heuver
Brad, as I wrote you earlier I believed this anvil to be a Hay-Budden.
Last night I reread the Hay-Budden section in Richard Postman's
'Anvils in America', (just published and by far the best work on the
subject available!), and I think I found the clincher!
'There is one other diference in those anvils with the 'A' prefix.
The number on the front of the waist under the horn is always a '4'.
Somtimes the '4' is upside down.'
This 'upside down `4' sure sounds like your 'T-Z' mark.
Please double check the serial though the 'A' series are not listed
as having gone as far as the 80K's, (if it is a 30K number it was made
in the early 1920's)
BTW although two british firms Mousehole and Peter Wright used the
old hundredweight system of marking, most of the american firms did
not. They used a simple weight stamp. (n.b. Hay-Budden also used
a 1-3 digit stamp that is believed to refer to the lot of steel
used in its construction so if the 157 is not indicative of the
weight it is probably this lot number)
Another sign of the Hay-Budden is the 'hourglass shape' of the
indentation on the bottom of the anvil, (actually a fairly thin rim
that projects down from the edge of the base and so follows the
base's contours.) [I told you it was a *good* book...)
Thomas Powers
Columbus, Ohio (once a major anvil manufacturing center!)
Including Serial Numbers, Grades and Production Dates
Trenton, New Jersey
1885 - 1908
The Trenton Watch Company was a successor to the New Haven Watch Company, which had been started in 1883 in New Haven, Connecticut, but had undergone financial reorganization in 1887.
Trenton Anvils For Sale
The Trenton Watch Factory, Trenton,
New Jersey, as it would have appeared in 1895.
Trenton produced nearly two million watches, most of which were lower to mid-grade pieces in the 7-9-11 jewel range. Most of the watches produced were intended for the domestic market, but factory records indicate that some watches were produced for export to England around the turn of the century. Trenton was subsequently sold to Ingersoll in 1908.
Trenton-produced watches were marketed under a variety of brand names, including: Trenton, Ingersoll Trenton, Fortuna, Calumet USA, Advance Watch Co, Marvel Watch Co, Reliance Watch Co, Locomotive Special and Engineers Special. Both the Engineers Special and Locomotive Special were marked as 23-jewel watches, even though they had only 7 functional jewels... the others were fake and were entirely for appearance! Similarly, the watches sold under the Marvel Watch Co. brand-name were marked 23-jewels, even though all but 7 jewels were non-functional. Some of these 'fake jewel' watches can be quite collectible today.
Trenton also produced two 18-size fly-back chronograph models, both with 9 jewels. Based on a Grade 40 or 41 with chronograph modifications, the watches were produced in limited quantity, and these watches are considered to be quite rare and collectible today.
Trenton Watch Company
Total Production: Approx. 1.2 Million Watches
| Year | S/N | Size | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1887-1889 | 2001 - 61,000 | 18 | 1 |
| 1889 - 1891 | 64,001 - 135,000 | 18 | 2 |
| 1891 - 1898 | 135,001 - 201,000 | 18 | 3 |
| 1899 - ?? | 201,001 - 300,000 | 18 | 6 |
| 1891 - 1900 | 300,001 - 500,000 | 18 | 4 |
| 1892 - 1897 | 500,001 - 600,000 | 6 | 1 |
| 1894 - 1899 | 650,001 - 700,000 | 16 | 1 |
| 1898 - 1900 | 700,001 - 750,000 | 6 | 2 |
| 1900 - 1904 | 750,001 - 800,000 | 18 | 4 |
| 1896 - 1900 | 850,001 - 900,000 | 12 | 1 |
| 1898 - 1903 | 900,001 - 1,100,000 | 18 | 5 |
| 1902 - 1907 | 1,300,001 - 1,400,000 | 18 | 6 |
| 1900 - 1903 | 2,000,001 - 2,075,000 | 6 | 2 |
| 1902 - 1905 | 2,075,001 - 2,160,000 | 6 | 3 LS |
| 1905 - 1907 | 2,160,001 - 2,250,000 | 6 | 3 PS |
| 1899 - 1902 | 2,500,001 - 2,600,000 | 3/0 | 1 |
| 1905 - 1906? | 2,800,001 - 2,850,000 | 6 | 3 PS |
| 1900 - 1904 | 3,000,001 - 3,139,000 | 16 | 2 |
| 1903 - 1907 | 3,139,001 - 3,238,000 | 16 | 3 OF |
| 1903 - 1907 | 3,500,001 - 3,600,000 | 16 | 3 HC |
| 1905 - 1907 | 4,000,001 - 4,100,000 | 0 | 1 |
Be sure to use the serial number on the movement (the works) of the watch. Do not use the serial number from the watch case.
Can’t find your serial number in the table? Click here for an explanation and example of how to use our serial number tables.
Trenton Anvil Prices
Need help finding the serial number on your watch? Click here for instructions on how to identify and open most common case types.