While you can find all of the information from The Illustrated Wrapper Checklist on TCDB or online auction house archives, Christopher Benjamin’s project was significant in 1980.
If that name sounds familiar, that’s because Benjamin was a prominent hobby writer, particularly for non-sports cards. The following ad was in Alan Kaye’s Sports Cards News & Price Guides premier issue and included the following bio, “Christopher Benjamin has published The Card Collectors Bulletin, the “original” hobby magazine. He is editor-in-chief of Non-Sports Update and has authored more than a dozen books and monographs about cards and collecting.”
The guide started with a few words to the collector, thanking them for their purchase, explaining the project, and thanking folks for their contributions.
Then, there were sequential photos of significant baseball, football, basketball, hockey (they’ve always been tough to track down), and non-sports wrappers.
I particularly like that Benjamin included a few boxes and tins on the inside back cover.
If you’re a fan of hobby publications, The Illustrated Wrapper Checklist is a must-get, just are back issues of The Wrapper which was advertised on the back cover.
