February 2006 -- OK, I admit it – I am addicted to tennis. And since I love tennis, I love collecting anything to do with tennis. Collecting has become an obsession, and everywhere I travel, I look for wooden tennis racquets, tennis books, etc. Thankfully my family loves tennis too. Our house has become a tennis museum with tennis memorabilia everywhere including all three of our children’s trophies, articles, plaques along with racquets and books lining bookcases and walls. To get the clutter of old wooden racquets off the floor, my husband Lee designed and built wall racks for the racquets, while displaying the oldest on a slant ceiling for visual interest.
If you too are a tennis collector and are eager to know more about the items you have collected, there are two books that I would highly recommend. The first is a paperback book titled
Tennis Antiques & Collectibles written by Jeanne Cherry. This book can be ordered through local bookstores. It contains photos of collectible tennis photographs, racquets, tennis ball cans, tennis jewelry, etc. The second tennis book is titled
Book of Tennis Rackets written by Siegfried Kuebler. It is a hardback book that is more expensive than the previous book mentioned ($75 plus $10 postage). The hardback book makes a great coffee table book, or a gift.
There is an update ($40 if ordered with the book, or $50 separately) that can be ordered also. If you decide to order the
Book of Tennis Rackets, it takes about six weeks to receive, and make sure you specify that you want the book in English – otherwise it will come in German. The author will also autograph the book, if you request. The book includes patents, racquet manufacturers, photos, etc., from the beginning of the 16th century until about the 1900s.
For more information, go to: www.tennisantiques.com.
