pic desk this morning; if they still haven't arrived ac action shot of any of the players mentioned in the piece should do the job - indeed it migt be a better option altogether.
Rackets used by famous players like Andre Agassi, who last weekend won the Roland Garros in Paris, make good prices at auction. Photograph: AP
There is a big market for old tennis rackets and pretty much anything with a tennis theme, such as paintings or ornaments, according to a Christie's tennis specialist.
Mr Mark Ghahramani says the tennis rackets that can be particularly valuable are those where the top of the racket is actually flat. This can indicate that it's an early racket. "One of those on their own could be worth £400 (€508) to £600 easily, if they're in good condition. But even in bad condition they're still worth a certain amount," Mr Ghahramani says.
Even in bad condition, "you could expect £200 to £400", depending on its age. If it has a flat top head, it probably dates from the end of the 19th century, he says.
Anything with provenance attached to it, such as if it belonged to a famous player and he or she has signed it or if there is a lot of
history behind it, "does well", he says.
This is the case whether they're big names from the past, like Fred Perry, Susan Lengley and Helen Wills-Moody or modern day tennis stars like Boris Becker, Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi. It is unusual to find anything signed by players from the 1920s and 1930s. "But anything signed by a tennis player" can be valuable and "the older it is the better it is", Mr Ghahramani adds.
It is not just rackets. "It could be anything," he says. For instance, silver items with a tennis theme, such as pocket watch stands in the shape of rackets, achieve high values. "Basically if one of those has some kind of a tennis theme to it, it can be worth something."
A decent watch stand with a tennis theme can go for at least £800, probably £1,000, with a good silver mark inscribed on there, he says.
Tennis paintings also do very well, whether they are watercolours, pastels or oils. "Any painting that has got a tennis theme, even with a few rackets at the back of the picture just hidden away, it does increase the value because they're quite rare. You don't get that many. And they do extraordinarily well. They can go for thousands," he says.
Indeed, anything with a tennis theme, "even say bronze or candlesticks in the shape of rackets" can be valuable. He says: "There's a big market out there for tennis goods."
The evening session of a Christie's tennis auction will be broadcast live by the Auction Channel on Sky Sports 1 next Tuesday. It will feature 80 diverse lots ranging in estimate from £100 to £1,000. For instance, a flat top racket from the 1880s is expected to fetch between £600 and £800. The Serve, a painting by Louis Icart, is expected to fetch £1,500 to £2,500, while The Tennis Player, a pastel by Belgian artist Frans Charlet (1862-1926) is estimated at £800£1,200. A Fred Perry Davis Cup blazer (1938) should fetch £700 to £1,000.
A preview programme is being screened at 3 p.m. today on Sky Sports 1. This will be repeated tomorrow on Sky Sports 2 at 11 p.m. and again next Monday on Sky Sports 3 at 5.30 p.m.
The auction takes place live at 7 p.m. next Tuesday on Sky Sports 1. Readers who might like to bid must register in advance, the details of which will be given during the preview programmes.
Further details are also available from the Christie's website: http://www.christies.com
