103547 | GERMANY. Friedrich Joseph Basch brass Token.

103547  |  GERMANY. Friedrich Joseph Basch brass Token. Issued circa 1870 as an advertising piece for his magic shows (21mm, 3.34 g, 12h).

 

MAGIE / Denkt an Basch (for magic, think of Basch), horned and bearded facing devil's head, with bat wings and two horns in mouth // JEDEN ABEND VORSTELLUNG D. PHYSIK MAGIE U. OPTIK, VON / F. J. BASCH / PROFESSOR / D. MAGIE (every evening—a presentation of physics, magic, and optical illusions by F. J. Basch, professor of magic). Mint State details. Lighter brown surfaces, with some enticing brilliance around the devices; some scratches on the reverse, though, account for the designation.

 

Friedrich Joseph Basch, along with brothers Ernst and Heinrich, and father Hirsch Wilhelm, formed what would become known as the Basch magician dynasty, with the men touring and performing mostly in Northern Germany during the later portion of the 19th century. Ernst issued similar tokens, looking virtually identical to this type, save for a slightly different reverse.

 

Upload: 19 October 2026.