Rare items valued at over $400,000

Collecting is in Thomas Black’s genes. He has been collecting tennis memorabilia for the past two decades and there are few who know the market for sporting antiques like he does.

Black’s love of collecting began with golf, where he built a substantial collection of memorabilia before it was sold by Christie’s at Pebble Beach. Black then turned his attention to tennis. He believed the sport’s memorabilia represented an opportunity: Tennis items were lower-priced and saw less competition in the market than golfing pieces. Even today there’s less tennis memorabilia in circulation to purchase, therefore increasing its value.

His private tennis collection is entirely unique. It serves to document the history of the game from the 1870s through the 1940s. From rare racquets and equipment to significant artworks, a fascinating range of memorabilia has been put together. A level of quality runs through all of the items, gathered by a man with an exceptional eye for detail.

The collection is comprised of tennis related art, racquets, bronzes, metal figures, some silver items and tennis presses. A number of racquets alone are individually estimated at over $10,000.

In the 20 years since Black has been collecting, tennis has shifted dramatically, witnessing countries such as Korea, China and the United Arab Emirates quickly improving their world ranking. Although they may have some of the finest tennis courts and coaching in the world, Black believes they lack the heritage and history of Europe, where the game originated.

Black has decided it is time to sell the entire collection. He is keen to sell it as a whole and he looks to intelligent entrepreneurs and investors in Europe, Asia or the UAE with an eye for a worthwhile investment.

The collection has been valued at over $400,000, but, as one of the largest and oldest collections in the world and with the current disposable tennis culture, this collection is priceless for any savvy buyer.

For more information regarding the TSB Tennis Collection, contact Naomi Mills at [email protected] or Richard Henman at [email protected].

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