c1890 Rare cast-iron Victorian 'Automatic Tennis Ball Cleaner' manufactured by "H J Gray & Sons Ltd. Cambridge." Measuring 35.0 cm h x 21.0 cm. wide, the apparatus consists of a large cylindrical drum inside which an arrangement of brushes provides an abrasive surface to clean lawn tennis balls. The balls are inserted via an aperture at the top, the side handle is turned, and the balls are pulled through the mechanism. They are ejected from the apparatus through a small sliding trap door beneath. The idea was first patented by John Osmond of Clifton, Kent, on 30th November 1887. In full working order. Gray's details are cast into the surface of the device