Helmar T332 Baseball Stamps Advice

[nickirun65]

Hello, Everyone!!
I'm new to the forum because I am NOT an expert but do have some post-war cards (football and baseball) that I inherited along with some numbered modern football cards too (Panini, I believe)....a few with autographs.

The reason I am here is to ask the members' advice on some 1911 T332 Helmar baseball stamps that I uncovered in the attic going through some old school papers of the people that built the house turn of century. There are six of them on a piece of school paper that the child had scribbled on (not on the stamps thank goodness). They do seem to be a little dusty from sitting in a box though. I will probably sell them in the fairly near future and wanted to get your thoughts on whether I should attempt to soak them to get them off of the paper or leave them on as a "lot" and sell as-is? I can tell you that the borders look decent, but what do I know. I'm attaching an image of the paper with stamps for your thoughts. Our moderator said y'all would have some great input!

Thanks in advance!
New Member Nicki

[Bridwell]

I'd recommended selling the page as is. You could soak them off and put them into individual card sleeves to protect them. But you risk some damage to them in that process. The fronts have a tendency to flake off a little of the color. Experienced collectors will pay about the same for them as is, so it is not worth the trouble to soak in my opinion.

[nickirun65]

Thank you! Sometimes just best to sell as is and let others handle the way they'd like, I guess. Possibly attracts more collectors!

[darkhorse9]

The Bender, Walsh and Merkle would get interest.

I would agree to sell it as it is. Those stamps lag behind in value since they're not "cards" and not a lot of people collect them as an issue. Player collectors would be more interested. Sell the sheet at one time and you would get people interested in any of those three bidding against each other to get the sheet.

Then it's up to them whether to soak them.

[commishbob]

Welcome to N54, Nicki. Those Helmar's are a fun, oddball issue. I collect Charles bender but I have one of his stamps or I'd be making and offer.

FWIW here is an article on them that ran in Sports Collector's Digest in 2007.

https://sportscollectorsdigest.com/a...-helmar-stamps

And I agree with the previous answers, I'd keep the sheet intact without soaking off the stamps.

[gonefishin]

I would recommend leaving them as is if they are glued. If they are glued they won't move around on the paper at all. Different techniques were used during the "Old" days to attach stamps. Are they flexible at all? Like I said, sometimes they weren't glued and were attached with a grainey salt like substance. If that's the case, they would simply loosen and hopefully fall off once massaged. However, do so gently so as not to damage the stamps. If glued, I would leave them as is.

[nickirun65]

That was a great article, and I think I read somewhere that they were also odd in that they had their own "glue", but I'm not sure how accurate that is. They do seem to be an odd-ball to collectors out there but still appealing to some. I did notice that one of the not so desirable ones on the far right was detached a bit on the bottom. Carefully bending the paper back it didn't appear as if there was much holding them onto the paper. I will just leave well enough alone. Thank you all so much for the warm welcome and all of your input here. Nicki

[jbsports33]

Please - keep them as is!

good luck

Jimmy