When you hear the word “anvil,” what comes to mind? Wile E. Coyote, the victim of slapstick humor in the form of an anvil crashing down on him? Ever wonder how heavy one of those must really be?
At our next auction on January 18th, we have a Peter Wright anvil up for sale. A long-time tool collector stopped in today. I accompanied him around the galleries and learned interesting tidbits about a variety of tools. As he checked out the anvil, out of curiosity, I asked a few questions… and received some interesting information about the mysterious numbers at the base.
It is marked “1 0 2.” He asked, “how much do you think this one weighs?” I went with an obvious guess, 102 pounds. But since the numbers are spaced out, it can’t be that straightforward, right?
He explained the first number is the amount of stones it weighs. The second number represents the number of quarter stones. And that last number is the amount of pounds. Assuming most of us haven’t got a clue how much a stone is- the answer is 112 pounds. A quarter stone is therefore 28 pounds.
So breaking it down…
- 1 = 112 pounds (1 stone)
- 0 = 0 pounds (1/4 stone)
- 2 = 2 pounds (pound)
…the specific Peter Wright anvil here at Gateway is 114 pounds!
Post by Blair Young
