American Scale Co.

Timeline:

• 1895 – Incorporated in Kanas City, MO with plant at Pleasant Hill, MO using the brand name Red Seal
• 1898 March 18th – Marion Record has a placeholder ad for the American Scale Co. advising Farmers to “Watch this space next week.”  
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• 1898 March 25th – Marion Record has an add from American Scale Co. advertising “The American Ball Bearing Scale.”
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• 1898 April 15th – WM. Cook begins advertising for American Scale Co. in Nebraska in the Hebron Republican
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• 1898 June 10th – American Scale Co debuts a new advertisement in The Weekly Bulletin in Anthony Kansas.  The same ad started running in other papers.  
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• 1910 January 9th – For Sale advertisment for a complete Steam Plan by the American Scale co at 2120 Wyandotte. st in The Kanas City Star.
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  • Today 2120 Wyandotte st. appears to be an apartment &  parking garage as of this photo from Zwillow
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• 1915 June 24th – American Scale Plant is moving to the Reliance Scale Works in Pleasant Hill. 
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• 1915 September 18th – The first advertisement for an “anvil” as part of a combined Anvil, Vice, and Drill all in one. Advertised in the Kansas Farmer and Mail and Breeze in Topeka, Kansas.
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• 1915 August 13th –  Pleasant Hill enters into a contract to have American Scale Co move from Harrisonville to Pleasant Hill by building an extension to the existing foundry and after a period of 10 years deeding the buildings and three acers of land to American Scale Co. The expansion is is expected to cost roughly $2,500.   The land and buildings that will be given to American Scale Co. are valued at about $13,00. American Scale Co. agrees to operate at least 300 days per year with at least 40 men working each of those days.  American Scale Co. is not expected to pay rent. Reported by The Pleasant Hill Times.
  • The existing 40×80 foot building will be expanded to 40×200 making it one of the largest foundry buildings in that part of the country.
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• 1915 November 26th –
  • The Pleasant Hill Times writes about the new foundry building erected for American Scale Co. highlighting the expectation that the work will be much busier all year long than in the past and that they would be manufacturing  “Reliance scales for John Deere, scales for the mail order trade, kettles, anvils, food cookers, and a variety of other things.”
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• 1915 December 2nd – The Harrisonville Review and Cass County Leader notes that Pleasant Hill is having a home talent show at the Tucker Theater to benefit the “foundry building fund” as the costs have been several hundred dollars in excess of the original fund. There does not seem to be any record of how successful this talent show was but the American Scale Co. did move into the new location.
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• 1916 May 19th – The Pleasant Hill Times reports that as hoped the American Scale Co is very busy producing a wide variety of products in addition to scales. They note a number of families moved along with the company and they are “all nice, friendly people, whom it is a pleasure to know.”  
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• 1922 – Advertisement – “Hardware World,” Vol. 17, No. 7, July 1922. Pg. 65.
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  • “Hardware World,” Vol. 17, No. 10, Oct. 1922. Pg. 147
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• 1953 September 3rd – American Scale Co. shuts down after disagreements between the company and the employee union.  It’s noted that they manufactured anvils in 5 different sizes when they shut down. The Pleasant Hill Times
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• 1953 – After the death of company president William S. Swift American Scale Co. was sold to Cromb & Gagel, Inc, which continued as a unique division under American Scale & Vise Co.
• 1953 October 22nd – American Scale Co. Reopens under the ownership of Cromb & Gagle, Inc from Kansas City. The Pleasant Hill Time  It is possible that after this point it was called American Scale Division.
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• 1956 – Advertisement
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• 1961 –MyCompanies reports that the lant was shut down and business entered bankruptcy.   Unverified.
• 1963 – American Scale & Vise Co. was purchased by the Marley Co.  Production, of at least, vises resumed until about 1971. Unverified.
• 1971 – By this date ads and directory listings seem to have ceased.

1. Vintage Machinery
2. Web Archive of Tool Archives
3. Anvil Advertisement

Documentation is scarce for American Scale Co anvils what seems likely at this point is that:

Advertisements from as early as 1922 show anvils for sale.

When the factor shut down in 1953 it was noted they manufactured anvils in 5 different sizes.

Post 1953 and purchase by Cromb & Gagel, Inc it they advertised 7 sizes of anvils. It is likely these anvils stopped being manufactured by 1961.

Archive.org

The primary way to identify American Scale Co anvils is by the prominent raised logo logo

Since they primarily produced vises here is a list compiled, primarily, by b100 on garagejournal.com

• No2: open screw, anvil horn, round knob, opens about 2 3/4 inches, swivel base
• No3: open screw, anvil horn, round knob
• No4: 4″ jaw, open screw, anvil horn, round knob, swivel base
• No5: 4″ jaw, opens 5″, same style as no20 34.2lbs
• N010: 3 3/4″ jaw, 5″ opening, 31lbs, fixed base, round knob
• No15: covered screw, round knob, might have a swivel base
• No20: weird anvil vise wi/drilling hole through dyn jaw 43lbs
• No22: 3 1/2″ jaw, pipe jaws, 17″ length, 10″ height
• No23A: see above, 4.5″ jaw, pipe jaws, swivel base
• No25: 6″ jaw, pipe jaws, 26″ length, 15 1/2″ height, ~200lb
• No30: small vise, small anvil, horn, cylinder knob, open screw
• No40: small vise w/pipe jaws, anvil, horn , open screw
• No45: similar to No4
• No50: open screw, swivel base, anvil/horn, 5” jaw, 40lbs
• No50C (or 500): same as No50
• No53N: American Scale/Red Seal, fixed base (need size info)
• No54: American Scale/Red Seal, 4.5″ jaw, 9 3/4″ opening, 9″ height, fixed base
• No55: no info
• No56: American Scale/Red Seal, 6″ jaw, 12″ opening, fixed base
• No61C: American Scale/Red Seal, 3″ jaw, 35lbs, swivel base
• No62C: American Scale/Red Seal, 3 1/2″ jaw, 6 1/2″ opening, swivel base
• No64: American Scale/Red Seal, 4″ jaw, 8″ opening, swivel base, 11″ height, , handle length 13 1/2″, 79 lbs
• No64: American Scale/Red Seal, 4.5″ jaw, 10.25″ high, 3.5″ from top of jaw to screw cover, 13″ length of screw cover from jaw face to end, swivel base, 75 lbs
• No66: American Scale/Red Star, 6” jaw, 14” opening
• No75H: American Scale/Red Seal, 4.5″ swivel jaw, 7″ opening, 3.5″ depth, swivel base, 60 lbs
• No79: Swivel base, swivel jaw, 190lbs, 6” jaw, 11” opening (picin post 13)
• No78: same as No79, 5″ jaw, opens 11″, 11 5/8 H, 26″ length, 120lbs
• No88(?): AM Scale / Red Seal, 8 3/8″ jaw, 350lbs, 34″ overall length, 16″ high, handle 25 1/2″ [ebay listing said it had Coaly & Co.,KC Mo on one side, but the pic shows AM SCALE CO]
• No?: 8” jaw with 14” opening fixed base (looks kinda like mine above without the swivel parts)
• No?: American Scale/Red Seal, 4” jaw,
• Red Seal 110 66: American Scale/Red Seal, 6″ jaw, 24″ length, 13 1/2″ height, swivel base (looks like vise in post 13, but no swivel jaw)
• No?: fixed base, 8 1/4 jaw, 36″ length, see pics here