Complete (!) 1911 T332 Helmar Baseball and Actress Sets

[bbpostcards]

I think this is the first time either of these sets has been displayed in completed form in public. The first is one of the few complete T332 Helmar baseball sets in the hobby. The second is the only T332 Helmar actress master set I know of (the actress set has border variations, the baseball set doesn't). It is hard to understate the difficulty in completing either of them. Hope you enjoy seeing the whole shebang. For more early baseball material, especially postcards (always buying!), visit http://www.sportingoregon.com .

[rhettyeakley]

Great sets Brian, they are both VERY difficult to piece together. I know you have been working on them for quite some time so congrats on your hard work!

[Wite3]

Wow...amazing!

Joshua

[tjb1952tjb]

Great job! And..........Congrats!

[autograf]

Great job Brian and thanks for helping me on the actress set. Have a couple dozen BB but haven't taken the plunge on them yet.........

[ullmandds]

very impressive...I've never "loved" the helmars as types...but when you put the whole set together and display it like that...WOW!!!

If they had been "card" size...I'd guess they'd be very...very popular! I love all the different background patterns and designs!

[bbpostcards]

Thanks! The set is a favorite of mine for its vivid colors, interesting mix of players, and creative border designs. A few thoughts on the set:

(1) The set is hard to complete because of its size (180 in the baseball), they are not cardboard and are small (decreasing the chance of them being around 100+ years later), and are not actually stamps (no gum is on the back, so they're not stuck in albums). Another fun way to collect them would be by team.

(2) Generally speaking I found some of the "common" stamps to be very tough to find, probably because they weren't saved at the same rate as the more popular players.

(3) Production issues include corner chips, being off center, and sometimes slight color shading differences among the same player.

(4) The actresses are even tougher than the baseball, perhaps because fewer people saved them, they were made in a fewer quantity, or both.

(5) A friend needs a Tex Erwin Helmar. If you have one to sell me, please let me know. Thanks!

[bbpostcards]

For those interested, here's a conspicuous example of the color variation seen sometimes in the Helmar baseball set.

[irishdenny]

Just "WoW!!!" Brian...

Congratulations on Completing Such an Amazing Task!
I've been Working on an E90-1 Set for some time now... And just from some of the tasks at hand I've come to appreciate what others like Yourself have come to know as "Never Give uP Frame of Mind"...

Truly Something to Behold!!!

"Thanks for Sharing & Allowing uS to Revel in Your Accomplishment"

[Vintagecatcher]

Brian,


Congrats on a difficult task!


Patrick

[h2oya311]

Congrats Brian! I know there was an actress on your want list that was rather elusive!

Thanks for helping me start my Helmar set a little over a year ago. I still have a long way to go, but I'm happy that I'm over 50% complete on the baseball set. Still looking for Cy Young to complete the HOF "subset".

If only Rhett Y. would get back to my PMs and eBay messages regarding the Helmars he was selling on the 'Bay, I'd be even closer!