2019 About us …

Medals in Space

Curious to know how two of our medals commissioned by The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) went up to Space and back to Earth and back to Wimbledon for The Championships for the ‘Coin Toss’ before the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s 2019 Singles Finals?

NASA astronaut A.J. “Drew” Feustel visited The Championships 2017 with his wife Indira and fellow astronaut Tim Peake, and it was then that he and Philip Brook CBE, Chairman of The All England Lawn Tennis Club, came up with the idea to take a specially-made pair of coins from Wimbledon with him aboard his six-month long mission to the International Space Station.

Courtesy of NASA astronaut A.J. “Drew” Feustel (c)

To show admiration to its 4 finalists who made it through the 2 weeks of the tournament, The All England Lawn Tennis Club worked with McCann London and Craft London to produce a new 60-second film ‘The Coin Toss’ – In Pursuit of Greatness – which included some shots of the ‘Space Coins’ being made at Fattorini’s Birmingham Works. Narrated by Brook, the film compares the unending betterment of athletes to the space race.

Courtesy of The All England Lawn Tennis Club (c)

Philip Brook CBE, Chairman of The All England Lawn Tennis Club, commented at the time: “Wimbledon has a long and rich history, and this new expedition is very symbolic for us. From year to year, there is so much change. It is a constant, continual improvement, for both the players and the Club. The journey of the coins, as reflected in our new film, and the young people we select to perform the coin toss, symbolise our collective pursuit of greatness – and we are thrilled to be showcasing this amazing story for this year’s Finals.”