The offered 1912 S81 Silk #105 Jake Stahl features a crisp image of the Boston Red Sox’s first baseman. Although the S81 series is made of fabric, it is more closely related to the T3 Turkey Red cabinets than other contemporary silk issues, and this example features the same image as the T3 cabinet. The S81 set features only twenty-five baseball subjects, and only a few exemplars of each are known with the exception of the Mathewson. This 6-7/8 x 8-7/8” relic is in fantastic condition with only minor toning along the tapered edge. As with all silks, there are a few loose threads, but they do not distract the viewer from the overall beauty of the piece, which was issued as a premium for Helmar’s Turkish Trophies cigarettes. A light ghost image of the player can be observed on the back of the silk, but the overall presentation is excellent.
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