Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Godfrey Phillips Lawn Tennis
Year	1930
Size	1 1/2″ x 2 5/8″
Images	Black and White
Type	Tobacco
Number in Set	25

1930 Godfrey Phillips Lawn Tennis Overview

This 25-card set gave collectors tips on how to play the sport of tennis. Instead of featuring individual players with biographies on their career, the series showed a variety of different shots used in tennis. The cards were issued by Godfrey Phillips, a popular tobacco company in the U.K.

This set was similar to a few others before it, including the 1923 Sarony Tennis Strokes set. However, it differed in that most sets typically just showed the proper way to hit a shot. Instead, this set showed both the correct and incorrect way to hit various shots.

Fronts of the cards had real black and white photos displayed horizontally while the backs were vertical and went into detail about the pictures. The front of the picture did not identify the shot being shown so collectors had to read the backs to find out what was being demonstrated.

Most cards showed a full body picture of a player demonstrating the actions. A few, though, were simply closeups with hands and the racket.

1930 Godfrey Phillips Lawn Tennis Checklist

1. Forehand Grip
2. Backhand Grip
3. Backhand Grip
4. Service Stance
5. Service
6. Service
7. Service
8. Receiving Service
9. Forehand Drive
10. Forehand Drive
11. Forehand Drive
12. Backhand Drive
13. Backhand Drive
14. Forehand Low Volley
15. Backhand Low Volley
16. Forehand High Volley
17. Backhand High Volley
18. Forehand Half Volley
19. Backhand Half Volley
20. Forehand Lob
21. Backhand Lob
22. Overhead Smash
23. Backhand Smash
24. Forehand Chop Shot
25. Backhand Chop Stroke

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