Well, I found an anvil. My grandfather would be horrified at the price I paid–at 80 some years old, he thinks they should run about a half a dollar a pound. Problem is, new ones these days start at more like $5/pound and go up from there. Used ones can be even worse because they have collector value.

If you figure a general purpose anvil is in the 150-200 lb range, then you can see why purchasing an anvil, a necessary tool of the blacksmith, can be a bar to entry for those interested in the art.