Paid $140 for a used anvil and it turned out to be a cast iron fake

Been hunting for a decent anvil for months around the Ohio area. Found one on Craigslist, old paint, some rust, looked legit in the pics. Drove 2 hours and handed over $140 without really checking the rebound. Got it home, hit it with a ball peen hammer and it just thudded, no bounce at all. Cast iron, not forged steel. Lesson learned, I guess. Anyone got tips for spotting fakes before you hand over cash?

1 comments

1 Comment

the_kai4h ago

Did you try the magnet trick before buying? A cast iron anvil usually has way more give under a file test, but the easiest tell is the ring test with a hammer, like you said. Sounds like you already got the hard lesson though, and for $140 you could probably recoup half of it by selling it to someone who just wants a heavy doorstop.