S74 Silks

In 1911 four tobacco brands Red Sun, Old Mill, Turkey Red and Helmar produced a fabric baseball card known as “silks” They were folded into cigarette packs and given away as a promotion to encourage brand loyalty. Similar to the baseball cards these S74 silks used the same images of players used on the famed T205 baseball card set. Not much is known about the set other than there were two distinctive versions know as White (S74-1) and Colored (S74-2) silks. The white silks were originally distributed with paper advertising backs and the colored silks had the factory and tobacco brand designation printed above and below the players image without backing.
Through extensive research we have uncovered a direct link to S74 distribution from the New Orleans Times Democrat Newspaper dated May 20th, 1911 an advertisement for Red Sun reads “Baseball Players or Actress Pictures on satin now in each pack”
Although some catalogues claim the White Silks were issued as early as 1909 we believe it was most likely 1911. In addition to the Red Sun ad above that confirms the distribution of White Silks on May 20th, two player trades create and interesting widow for the White Silks . Harry Steinfeldt was sold by the Cubs to St Paul on April 5th 1911 then traded to the Boston Rustlers on 5-25-11 . George Graham was traded from Boston to Chicago on 6-10-11 for John Kling. The white series picks up Steinfeldt on Chicago and Graham still appears on Boston, his old team suggesting the set was originally distributed in May or June of 1911 after the Steinfeldt trade but before the Graham trade.
The colored silks appear to have been distributed in the latter part of 1911 . These two trades stand out as a timeline for both issues . Graham appears on Boston in the white silks and Chicago in the colored silks suggesting the colored silks were distributed sometime after the trade date of June 10 the 1911 . Steinfeldt appears on Chicago in the White Silks and Boston in the colored silks . Kling only appears in the colored silks and is on the Boston Nationals.
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