(LOT 609)
1912 S81 Silks #106 Tris Speaker SGC 3 VG
GRAY EAGLE!!!... Bo-Sox Hall of Famer Tris Speaker resides as one of baseball's greatest center fielders, with the Gray Eagle posting a .345 lifetime batting average via 3,514 safeties and a record-setting 792 doubles. One of his scarcest collectibles is his 1912 S81 Silk #106 subject, presented here in an eye-pleasing SGC 3, one of only eight total SGC examples. Distributed in 1912 by the Helmar Tobacco Co. as a premium for their Turkish Trophy cigarettes, the S81 Silks measure approximately 6-3/4" x 8-3/4" and include brilliant images of 25 of the game's top players. A majority of the illustrations are also seen on the 1911 T3 Turkey Red cards, with the most illustrious silks being Cobb, Mathewson, Johnson, Alexander and Speaker. The classic Speaker batting image was utilized for his iconic T3 cabinet, with the timeless illustration portraying bold red hues and vivid resolution. Like virtually all S81 Silks, the horizontal edges reveal standard fraying, with both the upper corners reflecting some missing threads (a chipping effect). Issued the season Speaker would capture his inaugural Beantown world championship, no obtrusive surface flaws have compromised the museum-worthy Speaker pose that has stubbornly defied the past 112 years!

MIN BID $750
_