Racket Sports Heritage

The Collection contains four major sections:

1. The Early Lawn Tennis Collection
2. Unusual Racket-Motif Parlor Games
3. Battledore & Shuttlecock Collection (Predecessor of Badminton)
4. The Early Table Tennis Collection

Each section is endowed with superb historical gems, some of which are the only known examples or are among the finest specimens extant. Distinctive characteristics throughout the Collection include the richness of leitmotifs (e.g., racket evolution, women, advertising, games ...) and an emphasis on fine early quality, colorful graphics, and evidence of social impact. Together these sections comprise one of the most extensive and important sports collections in the world.

The Collection has been featured in international journals, newspapers, television and major exhibits (Tokyo 1991, Philadelphia 1990 and l99l, Baltimore l99O), and has been viewed by Royalty, diplomats, sports personalities, researchers and historians. The Collection enjoys a special relationship with the prestigious Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, which recently extended an invitation to exhibit parts of the Collection. In 1993 two important and related major works of stained glass art with racket motif were discovered. Done in the aesthetic style of the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, one of these magnificent windows is now featured at Wimbledon, while the companion window was acquired by the Racket Sports Heritage Collection.

One of the premier members of this section is the magnificent and very rare Henry V Lawn Tennis racket. With its extreme asymmetrical lob, fine patina and thick original gut, this is considered by many experts to be the finest early Lawn Tennis racket extant. The reference to King Henry V recalls Wm. Shakespeare's colorful allusion to the role of Tennis in provoking the famous Battle of Agincourt in the year 1415.

Another prestigious part of this section is a fascinating group of 150 early illustrated advertising cards and greeting cards from the l9th century, providing strong evidence of the enormous social impact of Lawn Tennis. Many of these charming cards are works of art in miniature, and will be exhibited on loan to the prestigious Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum by special invitation.

Also featured in this section is a very rare group of early Lawn Tennis boxes with lithographs of Tennis scenes and original equipment. One box from the mid-1870's shows the short lived hourglass court and the service diamond, which disappeared by 1875. Another includes a superb matched pair of extremely rare wire strung rackets dated 1889. A rare dual-purpose set of Lawn Tennis and Badminton is also a distinctive gem in this section.

Other key pieces include:

• Rare matched pair of very early asymmetrical rackets; fine flat-top rackets from the 1880's and many additional varieties documenting racket evolution
• An original hand-written 2-page letter by legendary Bill Tilden, sent from prison to his young protege containing both personal and coaching advice
• Early original art, including a large 1886 charcoal still life, a rare 1887 hand painted Lawn Tennis dinner invitation & menu, and a fine selection of early lithographs, engravings and other prints showing Tennis scenes and players in l9th century costume
• A rare 5-year continuous run (all 260 issues) of _Pastime_ the first weekly magazine on Lawn Tennis & other sports, 1887 - 1891. A remarkable treasure of illustrated advertising, early equipment reviews, rules debates, Wimbledon coverage & tournament results.
• A fine group of pre-l900 illustrated catalogue pages showing rackets offered by many sports equipment makers
• Several interesting old pieces from the Court Tennis era
• Other thematic Tennis motif pieces, including fine porcelains, candy boxes, silver spoon, tournament medals, books ... original balls and racket presses and other Tennis memorabilia
• An extremely rare 24-racket press from a turn of the century Lawn Tennis Club. The only other known example is featured at Wimbledon.

Racket motif games began to appear in the early 1880's, and they usually featured beautiful color lithography to enhance their marketability. These were short lived and therefore very rare now, until the celluloid ball was introduced into a table version of Lawn Tennis.

Some of the more interesting examples include:

• Colorful board games from the 1880's based on Lawn Tennis
• Card Tennis, New York 1887, featuring a large group of beautiful playing cards
• Games played with rackets and balloon:
  • "Balloon" New York 1889, with a superb pair of cane rackets strung in spider web style
  • "Pillow-Dex Tennis" with strung racket used to bat an odd-shaped balloon to and fro over a net tied between two chairs in the parlor (1897). Superb boxlid color graphics with a 19th century parlor scene
• Several examples of handheld dexterity games
• Rare table versions of Tether ball
• Several examples of games based on Tiddledy Winks, played on a felt miniature Tennis court
• A rare pre-electronics era Nintendo game, a pinball style game with a Mickey Mouse/Donald Duck theme on a tennis court with inclines
• Fine colorful puzzles with racket motif scenes
• Early Paddle Tennis set; Dek Tennis quoit; sidewalk version of Tennis; paddle & darts game ...

Key pieces include:

• The Albert Joseph Moore stained glass window, "Battledore" (1872; 4 1/2 feet tall, in wood frame). One of the most important finds in this genre, the visual effect changes with the lighting conditions. The companion panel is featured at the Wimbledon Museum.
• An excellent 18th century original oil painting; 3 1/2 foot tall full length portrait of a young boy in elegant clothing, holding a sheepskin battledore and shuttlecock
• Exquisite early strung rackets trimmed in velvet, gold and frills, dating to the Napoleonic era
• A beautiful tapestry 5 feet in width
• Rare illustrated boxed sets of Battledore & Shuttlecock game; a superb group of early shuttlecocks trimmed in velvet and leather
• Fine porcelain and glass pieces, including a fine 1883 Wedgewood pitcher, a lovely vase statue an early HOME | IMAGES | ACCOLADES | TAKEOVER

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  SECTION IV
  The Early Table Tennis Collection

  This important section of the Collection is particularly outstanding, with comprehensive depth and breadth of coverage. Many of these antique are especially rare, as most date from the brief 2 to 3 year period when the game was popularized at the turn of the last century. The Collection also includes some earlier transition pieces and rare variations on a theme.

  This section is endowed with many superb early boxed sets, complete with original fine rackets, balls and net, and beautifully decorated with delightful color lithographs showing men, women and children in period costume and active play.

  Another strong feature of this section is an extensive group of early rackets of amazing variety and style. A complete evolution is demonstrated, from very rare small strung rackets, to sheepskin vellum & parchment style battledores with handles of varying length, to short handled bats with many different types of surfaces.

  Other key pieces includes:

  • The very rare first game called "Table Tennis" a board and dice game dated 1884
  • Several exquisite pieces of delicate porcelain with Table Tennis motif, by Royal Bayreuth
  • Sets with experimental and short lived names for the game: Royal Game, Whiff Waff, Parlour Tennis, Gossima, Pom-Pom, and of course Ping-Pong
  • A very rare boxed set of "Pouch Ball" which has cloth pouches attached to the net
  • A handsome and colorful group of over 100 picture postcards; a large selection of the earliest prints ; early sheet music entitled 'Ping-Pong'; early jigsaw puzzle; Ping-Pong fan; extensive philatelic collection ...
  • A fantastic group of 15 tournament medals won by legendary Victor Barna, holder of an unprecedented 22 World Titles, including 5 Men's Singles titles
  • A superb wood bat with original pen & ink sketch of the famous "Gibson Girl", signed and dated 1901

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