Issued as premiums redeemable for use of Helmar's Turkish Trophy
cigarettes, collectors could redeem 25 Helmar
cigarette coupons for one S81 silk. Silks were a particular type of issue offered by the American Tobacco
Company and were meant to be sewn onto (or into) larger objects such as
pillows or blankets. Smaller versions, roughly the size of a standard tobacco card and known in the hobby as S74's, are seen in some quantity;
not so, their larger S81 brethren, which measure approximately 6 3/4" x 8 3/4" each.
The first five silks of the
30-subject S81 set are unrelated to baseball,
with each featuring military subjects (Buffalo Bill Cody, Napoleon
Bonaparte, George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and Robert E. Lee).
The remaining 25 subjects are all baseball players, with 20 of them also appearing in the T3 Turkey Red set.
The S81 Silks, the T3/T9 Turkey Red
cabinets, and the L1 leathers all utilize the same designs (where the
subjects are shared) and were all part of the same promotion.
Considered by many to be the three most beautiful, high-quality tobacco
issues the hobby has ever seen, each of these issues are still
extremely sought-after today.
S81 silks are extremely rare
today, with no more than a few hundred examples thought to exist.
Presented here is a tremendous example of Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander's
issue. One of five players featured in
the S81 issue that were not part of the Turkey Red set (the
others were Rube Benton, Russ Ford, Rube Marquard, and
Marty O'Toole), Alexander is pictured here in striking detail and
brilliant color, about to deliver a pitch.
Some light fraying at the top
and bottom edges is evident, consistent with the issue and fabric, and
the edges exhibit some light age-related discoloration. A crease toward the middle on the left half of the fabric has some staining, but does not affect the image of the pitcher, with the same being said about a pinhole near the top center. Light surface wear is present, but the text is still dark and legible, and the colors are still bold and true. A tremendous
piece, both very rare and very desirable. Obviously, the piece has been trimmed left to right.
SGC has only ever graded 10 total examples of this S81 Silk of Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander.