“The typical Texas farm anvil weighed 100-150 pounds,” he says. More typical was a piece at the other end of the scale, Chip says. Larger anvils were used in industrial shops – machine shops, shipyards and railroad yards.”Īlthough a special anvil created for the Centennial Exposition of 1876 weighed in at 1,400 pounds, the biggest anvil produced by most manufacturers 100 years ago was in the 800-pound range. “Anvils were used for all kinds of metal work and welding. “Blacksmiths and farriers used large anvils to shoe horses,” Chip says. The couple is also interested in related tools: tongs, chisels and hammers.Īnvils were once common on the farm and industry. “About two years ago,” he recalls, “I saw an anvil for sale, said ‘What the heck’ and bought it.” His wife, Michelle, joined forces with her husband: She collects small anvils, the type used by jewelers. Chip’s dad began the hobby with a small collection Chip has taken off from there. It’s also the start of a collection that now numbers more than 30 anvils from the U.S. “We have an old family anvil that was my grand-dad’s,” Chip says. For Chip Barkman of Texarkana, Texas, an anvil used by his father and grandfather is a very solid connection to the roots of agriculture in America. For others, sentimental ties are maintained by preserving a tractor that’s been in the family for decades. For some collectors, a stationary engine is a portal to the past.
