W.H. Foster, Inc.

Where to begin with Foster ingots. All I can say is they have been on fire these last 3-4 years. I regret selling several of my more rare Foster pieces, but happy to say I still have several that I plan on keeping! The company was started in the 60’s and started making pieces in the late 60’s era. They came in all sizes from 1 oz up to over 100 oz. The company operated out of Walla Walla, Washington. Enjoy the images of some various pieces that I have previously owned and some that I still own today.

One of the better struck 5 oz class type 2 hallmark Foster ingots that I own currently. Love this bar! Very low mintage piece <200.
Deak Perera triangle stamp and star stamp on reverse.

On the 3 oz pieces, there is a first generation with only the Deak Triangle and second generation, which has the Deak and Star on reverse. Below are pictures of both pieces I own.

These first gens often appear to have a pebbled look.

Reverse pic.

Note the toned second gen below. It appears to be slightly shorter and thicker than the first gen at top.

Reverse pic side by side.
This pic really shows the slight difference in mold/dimension.

I was going to save these for my upcoming “silver smalls” blog posts, but decided to include them here. I have a type 1 and type 2 one oz class Foster/Comstock Mines pieces. Sources estimate mintage at <1000, but honestly these rarely come up. Not many have survived. Premiums on these are exceptionally high. The top example is estimated at <1000, but the bottom example is one of only a handful known and has tested at a lower purity. This one has not been tested, but one featured on allengelhard has tested at 83.631% silver and 16.985% copper. Very interesting.

Obverse pic. Top example is thinner and longer. Bottom is shorter and chunkier.
Reverse pic.

Here’s some images of Foster pieces I owned previously. These are all my pictures, by the way.

My first 8 oz Foster that I ever owned. These are really incredibly difficult to come by and no longer affordable haha.
Unique type 2 hallmark in 5 oz class. See reverse for the key difference.
Single Deak hallmark with 5-113. 5 oz weight designation with #113 serial, <150 estimated mintage.
This is the first Foster I ever owned and type 1 hallmark in 5 oz class. Back is blank, and unfortunately I only took a photo of the front in my backyard at the time.
This is the one that got away. Purchased from a seller in Los Angeles 4-5 years back. When I sold it was a record price and this bar continued to appreciate. Hindsight! Just a spectacular 8 oz and likely the best we will ever see in this class.
Another that got away, rare 1 oz class type 2 hallmark, estimated <25 with Deak stamp and hallmark with star hallmark.

My good buddy Brian R. was nice enough to share a great pic of a 3 and 10 oz class poured Foster below.

Beautiful lines on the 1o oz and a great stamp!
The 3 has a very good Deak hallmark stamp. The 10 is just ridiculous! Serial 401 with Deak and Star hallmarks. Spectacular! Estimated mintage of the 10 at <500.

Author: Vintage Poured Bars

New blogger with a passion for old poured silver bars. I'm a Bay Area native and self employed. Active buyer of vintage silver poured bars and occasional seller.

One thought on “W.H. Foster, Inc.”

  1. Hi, I recently came across one of these bars and I’m trying to learn more about it and I’m interested in selling it. I was wondering if you could tell me anything about it. You seem quite knowledgeable

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