Who was Benjamin Perry? Wolves fans line up to bid on rare sponsor of first team shirts in the 80s
A rare label from only the second ever company to sponsor Wolves is one of the prized lots in the latest sports auction from Midlands Sports Auction.
Benjamin Perry. a a builder’s merchant based in Bridgeman Street in Walsall appeared on the front of Wolves' shirt for the final 16 fixtures of the troubled1985-86 season, including for the first time in the game where Andy Mutch made his debut.
At the end of the season the Benjamin Perry patches were removed, with the shirts being used for training and practice games.
The cloth which was taken from one of the shirts has already reached a bidof £360 in the latest auction.
Also available in the auction, which doesn't finish until Saturday morning, is a West Bromwich Albion cash book which details all the receipts and outgoing from June 2 1889 to December 30 1897.
The ledger book contains 153 pages of handwritten gate receipts for both first and second team games during this period as well as other financial transactions and outgoings. The guide price on this item is £2,000
And for cricket lovers, a collection of early original printed scorecards for Warwickshire CCC dating back to the late 19th and early 20th century plus assorted photos and letters have a guide price of £3,000.
Tim Beddow from Midlands Sports Auctions said: "The auction is live now and already the sponsor cloth is doing well - it has created a lot of interest as it is rare for a shirt sponsor not to be displayed for at least a season but this was a tough time on and off the field for Wolves at a key time in their history
Bidding on the items ends at 10.30 am on Saturday - to view all sporting memorabilia available by auction go to https://www.midlandsportsauctions.co.uk/
