Thonet
The first company that wanted to capture the interest of massive development of sports and tennis, was very successful company to manufactured wrought furniture – Thonet. Tennis rackets are for the first time Thonet represented in the catalogue of 1883 and that several models. Although the founder of the firm Jacob Thonet was originating German who moved to Austria, the tennis rackets were made in a factory in moravian Koryčany (today factory for kitchen furniture KORYNA) since 1891. A few years later, in 1889 to General sports exhibition in Munich, tennis rackets Thonet acquire gold medal. In 1891 issued Thonet already specialised catalogue of sports products, which is dedicated to tennis. It contains a total of 16 species of rackets including one for children, and all accessories – presser for rackets (for safekeeping in winter months, in order to avoid twisting rackets), the package on the racket, net, columns to the consolidation of net, including the cranshaft slack adjusters, for to adjust the heigh of nets, nets on balls, stand on a dozen rackets, etc. He offered to carve the name of the player with a crown with the wedge for the 9 Marks. Racket prices ranged from 7 to 28 Marks. The Thonet model rackets were marked according to Greek mythology for example: Pollux, Zeus, Castor, Victoria or Mentor.
The market situation of a ruthless, as are the accounting records. In 1900 the company sold 3732 pieces in 17 models of tennis rackets, in 1905 only 2546 and just before the fi
rst World War only 323 pieces. They mostly sell cheaper models. In the last separate catalogue the company Thonet(1923) offers the only model C.J.M.
After the merger with Mundus, in one of the larger catalogue of 1930 in greater degree offered in a special annex sports proprieties, including tennis rackets. In its number of 2 June 1928 writes in the Sport-Tagblat, that with Thonet tennis racket was won the tournament Hakoah (Hakoah – name of Jewish clubs) and these rackets are sold not only Thonet-Mundus store in Brandstrasse, but in Kohn store in Burgring and other five known stores with their address. The full – page advertisement for Thonet-Mundus was printed regularly in ČSLTA magazine Tennis-Golf-Revue (1928-1934) and in its successor the Tennis (1935-1939). The tennis rackets Thonet are highly sought by collectors.
