Have you seen the price of old anvils lately? I’m not saying they are not worth $2k, but realistically how many novice blacksmiths / bladesmiths have that kind of money? I bought this anvil and mounted it to a massive 18” diameter piece of oak, using a tube of silicone spread out between the two surfaces to deaden the ring a bit. The hardy required some fileing in the corners and I dressed the working surface edges with flap disks in an angle grinder. This is a good anvil for the price, especially if you are forging 1/4” or 3/8” bar stock or similar diameter rods of mild steel.