Two Vellum Battledore Rackets
Two Vellum Battledore Rackets
30396
Antique Pair of Vellum Battledore Bats.
The two bats with long slender handles covered in fine tooled red leather, the circular heads covered in vellum on both sides. The Battledore rackets with '5' on the throat and a paper label on the playing surface, 'Warranted, Best Vellum'.
Battledore bats came in different sizes, 1 to 6. 1 to 3 normally reserved for Ping Pong, Gossima, Table Tennis and sizes 4 to 6 for the game of battledore and shuttlecock.
The game of battledore and shuttlecock is the forerunner to Badminton and dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The game could be a solitary game or played with friends. It was essentially a game of keepy-Uppy and was more of a friendly game rather than a competitive game, the idea being to hit the shuttlecock in the air as many times as possible without it falling to the floor and keeping count. The players would coordinate with each other, purposely hitting the shuttlecock to each other, the aim to have as long a rally as possible keeping count of consecutive successful strokes in each rally.
Dimensions:
1850-1899
C. 1870
Vellum
United Kingdom
Good original condition with original vellum. Some of the red leather is missing, so it has been touched up with paint.
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