Product Type Two Vintage Sealed Tubes of Three Tennis Balls Each with Original Price Retail Tags. Condition / Grade Overall (VG+) The chrome metal appears clean with some age appropriate discoloration and oxidation. The retail price tags are bright and the Dunlop tube tag has a date of 12/74, while the Slazenger's tube is from the one-time sporting giant, Herman's ("We Are Sports"). Tennis Balls (M) The tennis balls are all in mint untouched condition as they are factory sealed in the tubes. Tennis Ball Tubes (VG+) The paint on the tubes is complete with nary a half dozen noticiable scratches or paint chips, even upon close inspection. The paint is bright and bold. The Dunlop tube has three stickers: 1) "WHITE" indicating the ball color. I suspect it's over a painted YELLOW text. 2) "Made in South Africa Dunlop Tire and Rubber Corporation Buffalo, N.Y. 14240" 3) A bright orange retail price tag with a "K" logo, a date of 12/74, and a price of $2.23 The Slazenger tube has two stickers: 1) "Lift ring until it touches rim of can then pull upwards to remove lid" (detached under plastic lid. 2) An orange retail tag from Herman's with code "077 " and a price of $2.50 printed on it. Plastic Lids (VG/VG+) Neither plastic lid is cracked. Both have much less than age appropriate wear.  The Dunlop lid has a pinky nail sized slight peel of the top layer in the center of the lid. It's not very noticeable. The Slazenger lid has an embossed logo and text. Manufacturer Dunlop  Slazengers Limited (Although Dunlop had purchased Slazenger before these items were produced) Part Number Dunlop: White Championship Slazenger Yellow Nylon-Armoured Country of Manufacture Dunlop: South Africa Slazenger: England Circa 1970s based on interwebs research and retail price tags About Dunlop Tire and Rubber Corporation "Dunlop Rubber was a British multinational involved in the manufacture of various rubber goods. Its business was founded in 1889 in conjunction with Harvey du Cros by John Boyd Dunlop who had discovered the pneumatic tyre. It was one of the first multinationals, and under du Cros and, after him, under Eric Geddes grew to be one of the largest British industrial companies. The Dunlop name was not used for any part of the business until after J B Dunlop's retirement in 1895. From 1924, Sir Eric Geddes began to diversify Dunlop. In 1924, the company began to manufacture tennis balls. In 1925, F A Davis was acquired, which had tennis racket manufacturing expertise. In 1926 the company acquired Charles Macintosh of Manchester for £2.5 million, and the Dunlop name was applied to footwear and clothing. Dunlop opened acquisition discussions with Slazenger in 1927, but without success. By 1928 only 72 percent of turnover was in tyres, compared to 90 percent in 1920. In 1959 Ralph Slazenger Jr. sold his family business to Dunlop Rubber. Dunlop Rubber failed to adapt to evolving market conditions in the 1970s despite having recognised by the mid 1960s the potential drop in demand as the new much more durable tyres swept throughout the market. After taking on excessive debt Dunlop was acquired by the industrial conglomerate BTR in 1985. Since then, ownership of the Dunlop trade-names has been fragmented. About Slazenger Limited "Slazenger is a British sporting goods manufacturer which concentrates on racket sports including tennis, golf, cricket and hockey. Founded in 1881, it is today one of the oldest surviving sporting brand names. It also holds the distinction of having the longest sporting sponsorship in world history thanks to its association with the Wimbledon Tennis Championship, providing Tennis balls for the tournament since 1902. In 1902, Slazengers were appointed as the official tennis ball supplier to The Championships, Wimbledon and, with the current deal set to run until 2015, it remains one of the longest unbroken sporting sponsorships in history. *Background courtesy of Wikipedia
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