A 'Champion' model transitional flat-top tennis racquet, with solid convex throat, black leather crown protector, and fine-grooved, slender octagonal handle. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Leathertennis

A Salmon & Webster 'Champion' tennis racquet, with solid convex throat, cloth tape shoulder reinforcements, and, a fine grooved handle with fish-tail butt and a rubber handle grip. Impressed inscription on handle grip: SALMON &/WEBSTER LTD./MAKERS OF THE/PARLOUR/SUPER STRONG/BAT. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Cloth tape, Rubbertennis

A rare tilt-top lawn tennis racquet with solid convex throat. Impressed inscription across throat on obverse: ALLAH EN/MISTRIE/SIALKOT. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Guttennis

A Peabody & Whitney 'Clifton' flat-top tennis racquet, with solid concave throat, bevelled head, red leather collar (now missing), and a slender, fine-grooved handle. Model name and manufacturer's details impressed across throat on obverse. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Leathertennis

A wooden tennis racquet with laminated convex throat, & crosshatched handle. Decal inscription across throat on obverse: S&H/125TH ST N.Y. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Leather, Inktennis

A wooden tennis racquet with cloth tape reinforced shoulders, and string whipping. Deep grooved handle; silver shaped plate attached to throat on obverse. Racquet maintenance instructions impressed across butt cover. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Leather, Ink, Cloth tape, Stringtennis

A transitional flat top tennis racquet with bevelled head, solid convex throat and fine grooved rounded handle. Engraved floral design across throat on obverse. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Leathertennis

A Zimmerman 'Nonpareil' tennis racquet with whipping around shoulders and also originally around shaft. Racquet has fine grooved octagonal handle. Model name and manufacturer's trademark feature across throat on reverse. Customised with name of individual; decal inscription on throat on obverse: IDA NAN/HARRINGTON. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Leather, String, Inktennis

A 'Popular' tennis racquet with solid convex throat, string whipping around shoulders and fine grooved handle with fantail butt. Name of model features across throat on obverse. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Leather, Stringtennis

A 'Fantail' tennis racquet with solid convex throat, cloth tape reinforcements around shoulders and fine grooved handle with fantail butt. Name of model features across throat on obverse. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Cloth tapetennis

A FGP 'Field Club' tennis racquet with double strung net, highlighting intricate 'sweet spot'. Laminated wooden handle featuring intricate linear and arrow-shaped wood inlay design. Inscription across throat on obverse: FGP. Inscription across crown on reverse: FIELD CLUB. Trademeark decal on throat of reverse features domed neo-classical building. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Inktennis

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 Sphairistike lawn tennis racquet, with solid concave throat, leather crown protector, and white leather handle grip wrapped along almost the whole length of the shaft. Impressed inscription along throat and shaft on obverse: FRENCH & CO./46 CHURTON ST./LONDON/SPHAIRISTIKE. This historical racquet was literally one of the first lawn tennis racquets - sold as part of a lawn tennis set - to be produced by French & Co., upon the order of Major Wingfield, in anticipation of the patenting and publication of his game rules. Once the patent was granted, Wingfield had his rules published in two days, and had copies slipped into the already constructed French & Co. tennis sets, and from that point, the lawn tennis craze began. Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Glue, Metal, Gut, Leather, Inktennis

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