A Bailey's 'Young America' tennis racquet with solid concave throat, leather collar around shaft and plain rounded handle. Name of model features across crown on obverse, and manufacturer's details across throat on obverse. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Leathertennis

An Ajax 'Calumet' late transitional flat-top tennis racquet, with solid convex throat, and cork handle. Model name features across crown on obverse. Manufacturer's name, with floral design, features across throat on obverse. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Ink, String, Cork, Painttennis

A Lowe & Campbell 'Hummer' tennis racquet, with concave throat, and fine-grooved octagonal handle. Model name across throat on obverse; manufacturer's trademark on throat on reverse. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Ink, String, Leather, Clothtennis

A tilt-top real tennis racquet, with solid convex throat, and extra long fine-grooved handle/shaft. Protruding end wrap formed from long piece of leather strip. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Leathertennis

An extreme tilt-top real tennis racquet, with solid convex throat, leather collar around shaft, and leather handle grip. Throat on both faces features impressed trademark of an elephant above three crowns. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Leathertennis

A tilt-top tennis racquet with: solid convex throat; rare double strung net; whipping around uncharacteristically short shaft; and, a fine-grooved, rounded handle. Impressed inscription across throat on obverse: P.T.A.S./+WORTHING+/-1881-/X. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Leather, Inktennis

A wooden tennis racquet with: solid convex throat; and fine-grooved handle with fan-tailed butt. Inscription across throat on obverse: HARRODS LTD./LONDON. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Inktennis

A Club 'Anchora' tennis racquet with: bevelled crown; string whipping over cloth tape reinforced shoulders; and, fine-grooved handle with fantail butt. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Ink, Stringtennis

A real tennis racquet, with tilt-top head, and solid convex throat, manufactured by Brouaye, and presented as a trophy. Manufacturer's name is across crown on obverse.The throat piece is wrapped in a blue coloured piece of parchment, and is gold embossed with decoarative floral designs. Amongst these designs on the obverse, is the date '1860'. The handle is wrapped in padded pink velvet, and is framed by a braided silver collar around the shaft, and a braided silver butt cap. Engraved inscription across the silver collar: JUNIOR PRIZE RACQUET/WON BY/B.M. DAVIES ESQ./1860. Davies was an undergraduate student at Oxford from 1860-62, and won this, the Junior Prize in 1860, and later, the Senior Prize in 1862. A point of interest, the 1862 racquet trophy was once owned by Australian tennis champion, Lew Hoad. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Ink, Hide, Velvettennis

An early wooden lawn tennis racquet, with: tilt-top head; solid convex throat; and, a leather collar.The racquet features a customised handle, with intricate inlay work on both faces. On the obverse are inlays comprising of what may be two lavender buds. On the reverse is a decorative design incorporating the initials 'ESA'. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Leathertennis

An late 18th century court tennis racquet, made from two pieces of interlocked wood, secured with two screws. One is the handle/throat, the other is the shoulders/head. The latter unfortunately had, at some point in the past, split at the crown, and whipping was applied to reinforce it. The gut stringing is three-way. The throat and lower shoulders have been hand painted, with both linear and floral designs. Across the thoat on the obverse is the monogram which reads 'BWB'. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Gut, Paint, Stringtennis

A wooden tennis racquet, with a slight tilt-top, solid concave throat; and red leather collar around shaft. The letter F is impressed into both faces of the throat. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Gut, Glue, Leathertennis

A wooden tennis racquet with oval head, solid throat and rounded handle. Handle has fantail shaped end and is incised with fine grooves. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Gut, Gluetennis

A wooden tennis racquet, apparently manufactured by Feltham, with extreme tilt-top head; solid convex throat; gold ribbon collar (now missing); and fine-grooved rounded handle. Impressed across throat on obverse: HENRY V. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Gut, Glue, Ribbontennis

A transitional flat top tennis racquet with solid convex throat and fish head shaped handle. No strings/net. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Gluetennis

A wooden tennis racquet with solid convex throat fixed with one metal bolt. Head shape is oval though top slightly flattened. Rounded handle with 'Fish head' end. Trace remains of silver decal on throat (indecipherable). Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Gut, Inktennis

A Barker & Son 'The Invincible' tennis racquet with concave wedged throat and bevelled, oval head. Has cloth tape reinforcements around shoulders, and an octagonal handle with 'fishtail' shaped end. Model name imprinted across throat on obverse. Manufacturer's name printed across throat on reverse. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Gut, Cloth tape, Inktennis

A ' Windsor' tennis racquet with bevelled oval head, concave wedge throat and red string whipping around shoulders. Fishtail shaped butt, handle has fine grooves and two large furrows. Model and manufacturer names imprinted and inked across throat on obverse. Strung with twine. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Twine, Ink, String, Guttennis

A ' The Ubique' tennis racquet with tansitional flat top head, convex solid throat with one bolt and a fishtail handle. Model name (Ubique is Latin for 'everywhere') is imprinted and inked across throat on obverse. Handle has fine grooves and two large furrows. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Ink, Guttennis

A T.M. Gardiner ' The Assocation No. 2' tennis racquet with oval head, convex solid throat with one bolt and a fishtail handle. Model name is imprinted and inked across throat on obverse. Manufacturer name imprinted and inked along edge of throat on obverse. Owner name engraved into lacquer on side of shaft. Handle has two large furrows. Cloth Tape reinforcements around shoulders. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Ink, Gut, Cloth tapetennis

A transitional flat top wooden tennis racquet with solid convex throat and octagonal cross-hatched handle.Throat piece has black-coloured section within it. Trace remains of leather end wrap and remains of cloth crown protector. Very faded decal appears to consist of symbol (possibly a seahorse)and the letter B. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Ink, Gut, Leathertennis

A 'Defiance' tennis racquet with oval non-bevelled head, solid convex throat and fishtail handle. String whipping around shoulders and model name imprinted across throat on obverse. Two deep furrows on handle. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Gut, String, Painttennis

A City Sale and Exchange 'Exchange' tennis racquet with oval head, solid convex throat and fishtail handle. Model name imprinted across crown on obverse. Retailer name inscribed across throat on obverse. Owner name engraved across throat on reverse. Two deep furrows on handle. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Gut, Inktennis

A transitional flat top tennis racquet. Solid convex throat and square cross-hatched handle. Leather end wrap. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Gut, Leathertennis

A tilt-head Real tennis racquet. Solid convex throat and square handle. Throat and central shaft covered with paper. Metal wire wrapped around shaft. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Gut, Papertennis

A tilt-head Grays Cambridge Real tennis racquet. Solid convex throat. Square finely grooved handle. Cloth tape reinforcing around crown. Manufacturer name and emblem as decals across throat on obverse. Inscription on right side of shaft: MADE IN ENGLAND. Inscription on left side of shaft: FRAME ONLY MADE/BY/GRAYS OF CAMBRIDGE. Symbol on throat on reverse depicting crossed tennis racquets, a flower and crown and the numbers 15 and 30. On shaft on reverse inscription: STRUNG BY L.W.R. KEEBLE/HAMPTON COURT. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Gut, Ink, Cloth tapetennis

A 'Sterling' 'Vim' tennis racquet by United States Athletic Co. Laminated convex throat and fine grooved octagonal handle. Leather end wrap. Cloth butt cap. The two model names featured across throat, one on each both side. On side of shaft inscription: 'MADE BY/UNITED STATES ATHLETIC CO/2222 DIVERSEY PARKWAY/CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. Strings Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Nylon, Leather, String, Ink, Clothtennis

A Goldsmith 'Hermis' tennis racquet with elongated oval head and concave wedge throat. Decal of manufacturer on throat on obverse states: THE SPORTING GOODS WITH A GUARANTEE/TRADE/MARK/REG U.S. PATENT/GOLDSMITHS/HERMIS. Handle hand carved/customised. Has butt cloth and string whipping around shoulders Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, String, Ink, Guttennis

An unmarked tennis racquet with solid convex throat, and fine-grooved octagonal handle. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Gut, Leathertennis

A B.H. Dyas 'Doug' tennis racquet, with bevelled crown, slender, flat and concave throat, and fine-grooved octagonal handle. Model name across throat on obverse. Retailer's decal across throat on reverse. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Metal, Glue, Gut, Leather, String, Cloth, Inktennis