1910 S74 Silk - Lee Tannehill

Cards made out of silk? It happened. I have been able to find very little information about these cards. What I have found, these were issued as tobacco premiums, much like the T-206 cards or the original Turkey cards.

This seems like an unusual idea that would be relegated to the annals of history. It would certainly appear so, but wait, there will be silk cards in 2008. Topps has taken it upon themselves to resurrect the silks as super limited inserts in the Series 2 hobby and HTA boxes. They will be limited to 50 and feature a checklist of 100 cards.

So, why do silk at all? I guess it's something different to put a baseball player on. I'm not entirely sure why someone would make a card out of silk. They do look cool though. Isn't the idea of silk supposed to be a touchable material? I don't understand why a touchable material would be used for something that is typically untouchable in this day and age.

I would imagine that I will not own an original silk card in my lifetime. The best I could hope for would be the 2008 version. I am a bit excited at the prospect of a silk card, but I'm not certain why. Could it be the alternative to paper that has me excited? Could it be the memory of silk against my skin that holds fond feelings? Maybe it's the oddity of the whole thing. Whatever it is, it should be interesting to see the public reaction to silk cards.