Reference Pages Online

Sponsored by WOOD TENNIS RACKETS, A COLLECTOR'S GUIDE

As part of our continuing effort to undertake research for the compilation of our book, WOOD TENNIS RACKETS, A COLLECTOR'S GUIDE, we are experimenting with some reference pages online for rackets. Feel free to use these pages as either a seller or buyer to reference the features of a particular model. We will endeavor to add or update pages as resources allow (time and money). Eventually we might try and limit this via payment and password but let's try it out this way for now.

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• BANCROFT, F. J. Bancroft, Pawtucket, RI. America's Oldest Tennis Manufacturer
  My interests in Bancroft are several, not the least of which is that this company produced rackets for a full century. Even though their early years were involved in making rackets for other companies, the rackets help illustrate many of the changes in technology and production from the 1900s to the 1980s. I have a fair amount of reference material for Bancroft consisting of catalogues and decades of ads in American Lawn Tennis. Observation is based upon my collection of approximately 75 rackets, from the 1900s on.
  • The Bancroft Name on Rackets
    
  • Racket Illustrations, Bancroft, Set 1 (24 pictures in a 'poster' format)
    
  • Racket Illustrations, WINNER Series, Set 1
  • Racket Illustrations, The AUSSIE, Set 1
  • Racket Illustrations, BORG Models, Set 1
  • Racket Illustrations, BJK Models, Set 1
  • Index to Racket Illustrations, Bancroft Rackets
    

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• TAD, T.A.Davis, California. Kings of the Court
  TAD, founded by T.A.Davis in the 1930s, always produced high quality rackets which were often showcases for the natural beauty of the fine woods used. Davis had three patents, the most famous of which was for the 'cross-grain lamination' which was used on every TAD racket I have seen. I have little reference material for TAD. Observation is based upon my collection of approximately 25 rackets, from the 1950s on.
  • The TAD Logo on Rackets
    
  • The Davis Crest on Rackets
    
  • Racket Illustrations, TAD, Set 1 (24 pictures in a 'poster' format)
    
  • Racket Illustrations, TAD, pre-1960s (11 pictures in a 'poster' format)
    
  • Index to Racket Illustrations, TAD Rackets
    

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• HEAD, aka AMF HEAD Makers of Metal Skis before Rackets
  
  • Racket Illustrations, HEAD, Set 1 (16 pictures in a 'poster' format)
    

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• POLIDATA ® Periods and Generations (PPG). A summary of our classification from the book.
  Classification of American wood tennis rackets for the 20th century.
  • Periods and Generations, Summary of All Generations (A one page summary to accompany the poster formats.)
  • Racket Illustrations, Generations, 1900s-1960s, Set 2 (24 pictures in a 'poster' format)
    
  • Racket Illustrations, Generations, 1960s-1980s, Set 3 (24 pictures in a 'poster' format)
    
  • Index to Racket Illustrations, by Generation
    

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• Talk Before the Tennis Collector's Society, July 1999. In development.
  We'll try and get the pictures for the rackets referenced and write up our notes.
  • Remarks by Clark Bensen at the Tennis Collectors Society, July 8, 1999

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• INDEX TO RACKET ILLUSTRATIONS. An index by make or model to pictures of individual rackets.
  This is a text index which will link directly to a picture of an individual racket. For selected rackets only yet it should eventually contain all rackets listed in the other pages. This should eliminate the long load time for the poster format pages.
  • Index to Racket Illustrations, All
    
• GRADING OF WOOD RACKETS An excerpt from the book.
  This is a quick overview of elements of grading wood rackets.
  • Racket Condition-Levels of Racket Grades