How many rackets do an average Tennis Racket collector have?

There was a trend asking about the average tennis player and how many racket do they have, but I felt left out because i don't have an average collection.

For me I have about 200 the last time I counted. A couple of months ago I gave away about 30 frames to an after school program. So I might have a few less now

How many rackets do we (racket collectors) have?

I still have 14 racquets, planning to reduce the count to about 5 by year end.

im still collecting....unfortunately in 2003 i lost my home to a major hurricane in south florida..with that tragedy of events i also lost my racket collection..it wasnt alot of rackets but it meant the world to me....2 puma BB supers..3 rossignol f200s 1 max 200g(crappy shape) but structurally sound...4 sv prostaffs and 1 volkl t9 30....i still wake up sometimes and think it was a nightmare....but no.....sad days...

457 at last count, but a few more on the way and on my watchlist. Am trying to behave myself. There's no way I'm going beyond 500 though. My latest rack will hold 6 dozen very comfortably and it's 3/4 full only.

At one point, I wasn't going beyond 60!

Virginia said:

457 at last count, but a few more on the way and on my watchlist. Am trying to behave myself. There's no way I'm going beyond 500 though....

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....bet you do....!

Virginia said:

There's no way I'm going beyond 500 though. My latest rack will hold 6 dozen very comfortably and it's 3/4 full only.

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The solution is to get another rack so that you can go beyond 500.

teachingprotx said:

im still collecting....unfortunately in 2003 i lost my home to a major hurricane in south florida..with that tragedy of events i also lost my racket collection..it wasnt alot of rackets but it meant the world to me....2 puma BB supers..3 rossignol f200s 1 max 200g(crappy shape) but structurally sound...4 sv prostaffs and 1 volkl t9 30....i still wake up sometimes and think it was a nightmare....but no.....sad days...

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How many have you collected? Current count?

User post count and rank info, as previously posted by TW Staff, looks like this:

New User 0
Rookie 100
Semi-Pro 400
Professional 800
Hall Of Fame 1500
Legend 5000
G.O.A.T. 10000
Guru 20000

I think the numbers stay the same for collectors regarding racquets... So I'm a rookie with some 300 racquets.

way over 500 and now trying to down size a bit

Rookies are leading!

teachingprotx said:

im still collecting....unfortunately in 2003 i lost my home to a major hurricane in south florida..with that tragedy of events i also lost my racket collection..it wasnt alot of rackets but it meant the world to me....2 puma BB supers..3 rossignol f200s 1 max 200g(crappy shape) but structurally sound...4 sv prostaffs and 1 volkl t9 30....i still wake up sometimes and think it was a nightmare....but no.....sad days...

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Dang pro, sorry to hear about that . Hey, how about this Florida weather we've been having lately!?! I've been wanting to try out some new/old sticks but it's too windy and cold. Oh, well...summer will be here soon enough!

By way of collection numbers, I have only about 50 sticks on the wall, half are early 1900s wood or wood/steel relics. The other half are 60s through 80s rackets that have some 'collectibility' or some personal connection(first racket model I owned, rackets I used in the 60s/70s, etc).

I have another couple dozen that are being used or are awaiting strings/grips so they can hit the courts. I'd say another 15 or so are just 'junkers' that came as ancillary to a more significant purchase. I need to pare down to rackets of personal significance, I suppose. I have 'restored' a few playable sticks to give to a local schools/neighborhood program and plan to 're-hab' more as I get them.

I have 50.

I have about 25 and am thinking of getting one more. Anyone ever heard of the Fox Prescion Ceramic WB-215? My friend has one and offered me it for $20. It is is very good condition.

I lost count but should have about 150. Few frames worth mentioning:
1) Agassi's Head Radical that he used in Davis Cup with his signature both on the frame and the cover
2) Lendl's GTX Pro-T tuned by Bosworth (pigskin grip L5)
3) A 99% new SV Pro Staff 85 from an ex-Thailand Davis Cup player
4) Brand New plastic still on Grip Prince Boron 110
5) Brand New Dunlop Max 200G Grand Slam edition
6) Brand New Boris Becker World Champion Limited Edition Puma
7) Brand new PS 85 with PS 6.1 paintjob signed by Edberg
8) Brand new Limited Edition Ncode Tour 90 with Federer's signature
9) Brand new Wilson PS 7.1 (85 sq inch head) for Steffi Graf

Just want to share and to see if other members have more interesting stuff. I know my collection is nothing compares to a few guys here who own Federer; Safin; Nadal or Murray's actual rackets .....

Few regrets so far in my journey since I started collecting 3 years ago
1) Didn't win the auction of a Brand New Dunlop Max 200G made for/donated by Steffi Graf
2) Didn't take the opportunity to buy Davydenko's personal racket
Hope guys here aren't as stupid as me

I don't think there is such a thing as an "average tennis racket collector."

Presently, I am trying to get rid of most of my stuff, only keeping the frames I regularly use, plus a handful of racquets I find interesting or which had a special place in my tennis-playing history. So ultimately, I won't have more than 20 or so, total.

I am looking for a good Head TXE, a good Max 200g (1986 version with tan grip), a Snauwaert Golden Mid, an Adidas Lendl GTX Pro, and a Rossignol F200 Carbon (the version with the Mats Wilander autograph). Oh, and maybe a couple Fischer Twin Tec (the 1990 marbled Charly Steeb model).

I'm down to 16 rackets. Hoping to be down to 9 soon.

About 30 new rackets and 20 used, and still collecting.
The best of them:

Boris Becker Super that he used in a Master tournament in New York
Thomas Johanson's Dunlop 300g paintjob racket
5 Dunlop Max 200g (3 new)
6 Different new Dunlop (White max, Silver max)
3 New Kneissl White Star Aero 20
2 New Kneissl White Star Aero 30

(...and about 100 match worn football shirts, mainly from UK Premier League )

It's the quality not the quantity that counts. I stopped counting my inventory ... and "advertising" it, too. Since then, the prices came down and I'm snapping all my favorite frames.

peter becker said:

way over 500 and now trying to down size a bit

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I might be able to help you out there - I'll be in Sydney in 3 weeks.

No, I didn't say that! It wasn't me!

tennis005 said:

I have about 25 and am thinking of getting one more. Anyone ever heard of the Fox Prescion Ceramic WB-215? My friend has one and offered me it for $20. It is is very good condition.

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Grab that one quickly, it's a great frame and a great price!

desmondchan said:

I lost count but should have about 150. Few frames worth mentioning:
1) Agassi's Head Radical that he used in Davis Cup with his signature both on the frame and the cover
2) Lendl's GTX Pro-T tuned by Bosworth (pigskin grip L5)
3) A 99% new SV Pro Staff 85 from an ex-Thailand Davis Cup player
4) Brand New plastic still on Grip Prince Boron 110
5) Brand New Dunlop Max 200G Grand Slam edition
6) Brand New Boris Becker World Champion Limited Edition Puma
7) Brand new PS 85 with PS 6.1 paintjob signed by Edberg
8) Brand new Limited Edition Ncode Tour 90 with Federer's signature
9) Brand new Wilson PS 7.1 (85 sq inch head) for Steffi Graf

Just want to share and to see if other members have more interesting stuff. I know my collection is nothing compares to a few guys here who own Federer; Safin; Nadal or Murray's actual rackets .....

Few regrets so far in my journey since I started collecting 3 years ago
1) Didn't win the auction of a Brand New Dunlop Max 200G made for/donated by Steffi Graf
2) Didn't take the opportunity to buy Davydenko's personal racket
Hope guys here aren't as stupid as me

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Very, very impressive collection - I'm green with envy!

I do have a Seamco Ken Rosewall, signed by him on the leather grip and since he's my absolute favourite all time player, that is really special. He also signed my copy of his biography "Twenty Years at the Top" with the following inscription:

To Virginia
Best Wishes
Ken Rosewall
31.3.09

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I was part of a group of 12 at the Sydney Olympic Centre and he showed us the arena named after him, chatted with all of us for about an hour and was absolutely the most charming and friendly person you can imagine. He shook my hand twice, once when I arrived and then again as I was about to leave.

We were actually supposed to play doubles tennis that day (10 minutes with Ken as a partner and 10 minutes with him as an opponent) but it rained!

Dino Lagaffe said:

User post count and rank info, as previously posted by TW Staff, looks like this:

New User 0
Rookie 100
Semi-Pro 400
Professional 800
Hall Of Fame 1500
Legend 5000
G.O.A.T. 10000

I think the numbers stay the same for collectors regarding racquets... So I'm a rookie with some 300 racquets.

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You're missing 'Talk Tennis Guru' at 20K posts :shock:

Bud said:

You're missing 'Talk Tennis Guru' at 20K posts :shock:

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Oops, thanks for pointing that out.

Bud said:

You're missing 'Talk Tennis Guru' at 20K posts :shock:

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Will that be "Tennis Nuts or Fanatics"? 20K posts - amazing.

Tennis Man said:

It's the quality not the quantity that counts. I stopped counting my inventory ... and "advertising" it, too. Since then, the prices came down and I'm snapping all my favorite frames.

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What have you been searching or have acquired recently?

Virginia said:

I might be able to help you out there - I'll be in Sydney in 3 weeks.

No, I didn't say that! It wasn't me!

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>500 is in sight. You really need to consider another rack.

Thank You

Virginia said:

Grab that one quickly, it's a great frame and a great price!

Very, very impressive collection - I'm green with envy!

I do have a Seamco Ken Rosewall, signed by him on the leather grip and since he's my absolute favourite all time player, that is really special. He also signed my copy of his biography "Twenty Years at the Top" with the following inscription:



I was part of a group of 12 at the Sydney Olympic Centre and he showed us the arena named after him, chatted with all of us for about an hour and was absolutely the most charming and friendly person you can imagine. He shook my hand twice, once when I arrived and then again as I was about to leave.

We were actually supposed to play doubles tennis that day (10 minutes with Ken as a partner and 10 minutes with him as an opponent) but it rained!

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Thanks. But nothing beats the chance of getting to meet with your favourite player of all time! (Let alone the chance to play with/against him/her!). If I have to let go my entire collection in exchange for a chance to play with Sampras or Federer I wouldn't even blink

desmondchan said:

Thanks. But nothing beats the chance of getting to meet with your favourite player of all time! (Let alone the chance to play with/against him/her!). If I have to let go my entire collection in exchange for a chance to play with Sampras or Federer I wouldn't even blink

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Would that be better if Sampras or Federer would give you one of their collection?

Pardon the mess, but this was posted on another thread but probably belongs here...bear with me:


Originally Posted by galain View Post
"Coach Rick
I'd love to know what's in your collection and what you hope to add. Seems like you've had an amazing life in retail tennis."


Funny you should ask . I collected a few early 1900s rackets over the last couple of years we were in Atlanta but didn't start collecting more contemporary frames until we moved to central Texas just under two years ago. In hindsight, the tennis hotbed of Atlanta was more likely to 'contain' interesting rackets of the past 3-4 decades, given the shear number of players in the leagues(over 80,000 members belong to ALTA, the largest local tennis league in the universe).

As for my accumulation of rackets, I have a couple dozen rackets from the early 1900s, all interesting because of their age and construction, but with no personal connection to me. These make a rather eye-catching wall display. The other couple dozen rackets from the '60s through '80s are individually interesting to me, either from a personal use standpoint or a novel remembrance of those days. Examples include a low-end Pancho Gonzalez Spalding model that was the first model of racket that I owned(from Western Auto Stores, $5.65, IIRC). My college roommate and I both played the Arthur Ashe Comp II for a time so, of course, there is one of those. Also significant from the period are the multiple T2000 and T3000 models. Add in a Rawlings TieBreaker, original Prince Graphite, couple of Dura-fiber models, Durbin aluminum, original Sting, early Slazenger chromed steel model--not sure what it was called, Wilson Legacy, original Graphite Edge, and so on.

Lately, I've latched on to a few aluminum Yonex models of the '70s and early '80s...YY7500 and 8500(used by my brother and me), couple Glaflex, a few more aluminum models after they added the nylon throat piece, etc. These, along with a couple of Red Head Pros, are the rackets that I hit with most these days. Brings back memories of the good old days!

Don't let me forget the WonderWand Stinger, Gray Fox, PK Micro Mid prototype, and Volkl V3(first racket I ever gave to my darling wife). There are 10-20 more rather nondescript wood models from the '70s mostly. These should be returned to the wild to make room for others, I suppose. I passed up a Fischer Team and Donnay Allwood Lite(very warped but cosmetically excellent) along with another Kennex Bronze Ace just yesterday only because I don't want to collect just for the sake of accumulation. I suppose I'll add other interesting sticks as time goes on(...running out of wall space!) and I don't want to just stockpile rackets without displaying them.

I'm a bit envious of some of the more interesting and extensive collections shown here on TW; but, there's only so much room and I want to leave some interesting rackets 'out there' for others to appreciate . Pardon the long ramble. Adios.

Just to hijack this thread a bit more, I shouldn't forget my original Wilson Profile 95, Slazenger Professional wood(last wood racket I used in tournaments), Head Director(aluminum), Graphite Director and Composite Director. Couple of Prestige 300 M+(still hit those) and a dozen or so Volkls that I have used over the past 10 years.

I restring/regrip playable but less interesting rackets such as 2x Cobra 95, Hammer Tour, 2x Prince Graphite II, etc to give to a local tennis center for their schools/neighborhood programs.

I'd like to find a Fischer Superform to help me remember tying for first place in a fast serve contest over three decades ago! Ah, the good old days!

Thank you so much! Nothing from your days with Rossignol? Not even a Kriek auto?

galain said:

Thank you so much! Nothing from your days with Rossignol? Not even a Kriek auto?

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Nah! I left them just before they tried to set a record for the greatest number of models derived from one racket(F200) . That was when I started teaching full time and later went to work for Dunlop...then Yonex, then Kennex, back to Dunlop, back to retail, Yamaha for a VERY brief time, back to teaching...dang, I'm tired just THINKING about how old I am!

My Frame Collection...

Was between 300-400... now less than 100 and still selling (giving away, donating, etc.)

I stopped collecting 3 months ago, realizing that the racquet itself is only a part of the equation. String type and tension also make a big difference. Nearly any racquet can be customized (weight, swing weight, balance -- except for flex) to fit your play style. Thus, you really do not need that many.

Ah, but you are talking about collecting playing racquets and I would certainly agree with you there. Once you've found a frame (or frames) that you like, there's no need to have many.

I think the OP was talking about people who collect racquets in larger numbers, for display purposes, or as some do, to mark their own personal tennis history, which itself is a wonderful idea.

Collection is cool.

For me only, collecting gets expensive and the feeling of hogging racquets bothers me.

I've always been a collector of things. And my collection derives on quality and quantity. My side collection is more like hording rackets

I do find myself donating countless rackets to schools that could use tennis. Mainly after school programs. So that's the I balance with "hogging rackets," I feel I do my equal share of bring tennis to kids normally will not have tennis in their lives.

It is expensive at times, but the racket I collect are a part of modern tennis history. And I share my collection with anyone willing to listen and explore the rich historical knowledge of tennis

teachingprotx said:

im still collecting....unfortunately in 2003 i lost my home to a major hurricane in south florida..with that tragedy of events i also lost my racket collection..it wasnt alot of rackets but it meant the world to me....2 puma BB supers..3 rossignol f200s 1 max 200g(crappy shape) but structurally sound...4 sv prostaffs and 1 volkl t9 30....i still wake up sometimes and think it was a nightmare....but no.....sad days...

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MAN!!! i would suicide myself!!! you lost 4 saint vincent pro staffs??? you should have taken them with you if you knew there would be a hurricane...

khw72004 said:

I do find myself donating countless rackets to schools that could use tennis. Mainly after school programs. So that's the I balance with "hogging rackets," I feel I do my equal share of bring tennis to kids normally will not have tennis in their lives.

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Donating to the needy is a noble thing to do!

It is expensive at times, but the racket I collect are a part of modern tennis history. And I share my collection with anyone willing to listen and explore the rich historical knowledge of tennis

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Thank you for sharing your insights.