Every once in a while you find good cheap rackets

[Irvin]

It seems like just the other day when I suggested to someone to look for practice rackets at the goodwill. Today I was taking some donation items to the goodwill and decided to take my own advice. I walking toward The back wall where the rackets are hung and could only see what I thought were trash tennis rackets and a few badminton rackets I wasn’t interested in. As I kept walking I started thinking I seen something I had not seen in a long time. An original ProStaff 84.6 si (aka ProStaff 85.) I took the racket off the off the wall and noticed there was no bumper guard. Then is when I realized I just found on of the very first ‘Chicago style’ ProStaffs. I’m not sure when they started putting bumper guards on the ProStaffs but I know all the St. Vincent models had bumper guards. Price was $4.09 for a classic antique racket. When I got up to the checkout I found out it was senior day so the price dropped to $3.07. I tried to talk them down because the strings weren’t straight but they were having any of that. Anyway here is my find for the day.

https://imgur.com/oVGBazF

Check out you own goodwill and thrift stores. You‘ll never know what you might find until you go looking.

 

[EggSalad]

That looks like it has the original strings in and has barely been used. Awesome find.

 

[Irvin]

That looks like it has the original strings in and has barely been used. Awesome find.

I think the grip is original and slick but not bad. The strings I doubt are original. It has Prince original SG in it.

 

[KungfuTennis]

Great find! My best find was a TGK231.2 at a PlayItAgainSports used sports shop for 30 dollars.

 

[stapletonj]

strings weren't straight! good one, I 'll have to try that.

 

[Irvin]

strings weren't straight! good one, I 'll have to try that.

Didn’t work for me, maybe it will for you. LOL

 

[Crocodile]

I haven’t found much here for a while worth buying from Vinnies or the Salvos however one of my customers walked past a front yard council pick and found a Yonex Rexking R1 sitting among the rubbish.( light purple frame ) and gave it to me.
Needless to say I strung it up in poly tour pro I’m purple and put a new grip on it and touched up some paint chips and the thing is an S & V weapon with an RA in the low 40’s.
One of the players I worked with had a hit with it and loved it so much that he offered to buy it for $100, so I did.

 

[ichaseballs]

you can still buy this today from TW

Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85 Racquet | Tennis Warehouse

www.tennis-warehouse.com

 

[Irvin]

you can still buy this today from TW

Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 85 Racquet | Tennis Warehouse

www.tennis-warehouse.com

You can buy a made in China Pro Staff that looks like that frame, with a few small differences, but you can’t buy a vintage 1983 made in Chicago Wilson Pro Staff 85.

EDIT: If you‘re going to play with the frame there’s not much difference. If you want a collector‘s racket there a big difference. This is a bad analogy but would you rather have a brand new plastic on the grip unstrung RF97A or one of Roger Federer’s actual used rackets?

EDIT: I might even take one of Roger Federer’s old used Pro Staff 88s with a paint job in a pinch.

 

[Irvin]

I haven’t found much here for a while worth buying from Vinnies or the Salvos however one of my customers walked past a front yard council pick and found a Yonex Rexking R1 sitting among the rubbish.( light purple frame ) and gave it to me.
Needless to say I strung it up in poly tour pro I’m purple and put a new grip on it and touched up some paint chips and the thing is an S & V weapon with an RA in the low 40’s.
One of the players I worked with had a hit with it and loved it so much that he offered to buy it for $100, so I did.

You did what? Sold it?

 

[Crocodile]

You did what? Sold it?

Yep

 

[Cup8489]

If I recall correctly, early runs of the ST. Vincents did come without bumpers. I have two of them myself.

 

[Irvin]

If I recall correctly, early runs of the ST. Vincents did come without bumpers. I have two of them myself.

I thought only the Chicago made frames came without bumpers. Thanks for letting me know.

 

[5sets]

The St. Vincent ones are bumperless as well. I had the good fortune of thrifting one four years ago four $6 American. Also have scooped up a Head Pro Tour 280, Trysis 260, and Prestige 600 in past months for a few dollars.

 

[Aestheticsaboveallelse]

It seems like just the other day when I suggested to someone to look for practice rackets at the goodwill. Today I was taking some donation items to the goodwill and decided to take my own advice. I walking toward The back wall where the rackets are hung and could only see what I thought were trash tennis rackets and a few badminton rackets I wasn’t interested in. As I kept walking I started thinking I seen something I had not seen in a long time. An original ProStaff 84.6 si (aka ProStaff 85.) I took the racket off the off the wall and noticed there was no bumper guard. Then is when I realized I just found on of the very first ‘Chicago style’ ProStaffs. I’m not sure when they started putting bumper guards on the ProStaffs but I know all the St. Vincent models had bumper guards. Price was $4.09 for a classic antique racket. When I got up to the checkout I found out it was senior day so the price dropped to $3.07. I tried to talk them down because the strings weren’t straight but they were having any of that. Anyway here is my find for the day.

https://imgur.com/oVGBazF

Check out you own goodwill and thrift stores. You‘ll never know what you might find until you go looking.

You tried to talk them down from three dollars? Am I reading this right?

 

[Irvin]

You tried to talk them down from three dollars? Am I reading this right?

That was me being sarcastic.

EDIT: The original price was $4.09 but I found it on senior day and the cashier took off 25% without me even asking for a senior discount. I look old. LOL