SCP Auctions January 2009 Internet Auction

The L1 leathers were issued by Helmar Tobacco Co. in 1912 as a premium with its "Turkish Trophies" brand of cigarettes. The set features 25 of the top baseball players and shared a checklist with the closely related S81 silks, which were another part of the same promotion. The "leathers," advertised as being 10" X 12", featured drawings of baseball players on horsehide-shaped pieces of leather. The drawings were based on the pictures used for the popular T3 Turkey Red series issued a year earlier. Twenty of the 25 players in the "leathers" set are from the T3 set. Five pitchers, Marquard, Alexander, Benton, O'Toole and Ford, not pictured in the T3 set, were added to the "leathers" set. According to the promotion, each "leather" was available in exchange for 50 Helmar coupons. In contrast, the closely related issue from Helmar at the time was the S81 Silks which only required 25 coupons, making the "leathers" one of the more scarce issues to date. The offered leather of Philadelphia Athletic Hall of Famer Frank "Home Run" Baker is in beautiful NM condition with no noticeable flaws.