Serious downsizing might mean no more collecting...

coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
Ladies and gentlemen...DW and I are embarking on a serious downsizing and simplification in our house size and likely our personal lives(We'll see how this pans out ;) ). As such, I will likely be liquidating my modest collection of vintage rackets over the next few months. This isn't a sales pitch as much as a request that anyone who has done something similar please let me know how it went...do you miss the 'hunt' or the proudly displayed pieces of history? Did your collection find a new 'home' with a collector or did you just 'set them free' and put them out of your mind?

My 30 or so 'bare-handled' vintage rackets have no personal connection to me; but they are darned cool because of the way rackets were built 'back then'.

The 60-70 rackets from the 1960s through the '80s have some personal meaning, either as models I used during that time or just because they are 'different' along the lines of the Durbin or Seamco Rosewall. I would imagine it would be hard to cull the herd and keep only a very few meaningful frames...perhaps best to simply 'let go'...(like I did with a really nice table saw that was used 'maybe' once a year :) ).

The stringing machine will stay with me as I use it fairly frequently. The vintage rackets, unfortunately, just hang on the wall(with such an empty wall not likely being 'available' in the new house of half the size ;) ).

This will be an interesting journey. I can't claim any sort of investment of time and effort compared to some of our 'Classic' members, but the collection is meaningful in a small way, I reckon. Thanks for letting me share a bit.
 
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R

retrowagen

Hall of Fame
Whilst many hereabouts have racquet collections that, like the universe, continue to expand (and may never stop!), mine too was sharply curtailed when we moved house a couple years ago, from a comfortably larger, big city house near the tennis club, to a cozy little house on some property up in the mountains.

Some may claim that tennis is a metaphor for life, but really, life is so much more than a hobby or exercise pursuit... It's relationships, experiences, triumphs, tragedies, and all the details in between. And it's quite common for one's possessions to get in the way, as seasons change. I've kept enough of my favorite racquets around to allow me (and 20 or so friends!) to have a hit. I have a few that are up for grabs on a big auction site. And I still look around for intriguing ones to purchase and ready for the next user to cherish.

Don't worry - oddly enough, you'll find ways to spend your time, with or without this hobby as a priority!

And best of luck as you turn this page in the book of your life, downsize, re-organize, re-prioritize, and move forward! It's a wild ride, but a good one! :)
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
v-verb said:
well if you have any K88's or Pro Staff 85's available I would be interested.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I know details belong in the FS/FT forum; but none of those in the collection. I'll post details in the proper forum as I get time and pictures. Thx
 
joe sch

joe sch

Legend
Its difficult to let them go but satisfying if you can take the time to do it on individual or pairs of rackets basis so you get a fair deal and so they go to users and collectors who will really appreciate them.

You will even meet some nice buyers and maybe develop a relationship with the adaptors. I dont need any but would of course surely like to own one of yours.

Have fun unloading :)
 
Fearsome Forehand

Fearsome Forehand

Professional
All things must end. :)

Perhaps, build a small man cave at your new abode? A small shack in the back yard equiped with a mini-fridge of adult beverages in which you can hold meetings of the local chapter of the He-Man Woman Haters Club and adorn your walls with much revered rackets.

I would keep your absolute favorites and sell the remainder. Once gone, they will not not mean that much. Like lost loves from long ago. Take pictures for memories sake.

I am in the process myself. Had hundreds, sold quite a few, still selling in hopes of getting down to the essential, playable core. :)
 
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M

magnut

Hall of Fame
Good. There have not been many vintage frames for sale in the classifieds lately. Its been kind of boring.

I went through a bunch of mine last week as well and donated the junk. Probably will get rid of some more this week.

I only keep the frames that I play with though. I am building a tennis lounge room and might start looking for some weird stuff to hang on the wall.

The Winchester racquet is staying though! "Winchester...as good as the gun!" LOL. Possible the greatest tennis slogan of all time. The frame is mint and I paid $7 for it. It will go to the kids with a signed contract to keep it in the family. I have no idea how much its worth anymore but it was not cheap the last time I looked.

Anyways we all look forward to seeing what you dump on us.
 
jimbo333

jimbo333

Hall of Fame
To be honest Coach I think it is a bit sad that you are selling these, as tennis has clearly been a big part of your life. I know some people keep their rackets in a garden shed or garage, where they are out the way from the house.

Having said that, as long as you keep a few of your absolute favourites, then I can see it as life moving forward. I've only been collecting for about 5 years. I will definitely sell my collection at some point maybe soon in the future. Life goes on, it's all good:)
 
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coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
jimbo333 said:
To be honest Coach I think it is a bit sad that you are selling these, as tennis has clearly been a big part of your life. I know some people keep their rackets in a garden shed or garage, where they are out the way from the house.

Having said that, as long as you keep a few of your absolute favourites, then I can see it as life moving forward. I've only been collecting for about 5 years. I will definitely sell my collection at some point maybe soon in the future. Life goes on, it's all good:
Click to expand...

Not that I need a reason to procrastinate(I am an expert, I reckon ;) ); but I just got word that the new neighborhood where we are most interested in buying won't even start construction until June. :(

Here in the States, the housing market is most active during spring for home searches and summer for actual closing and moving. That complicates matters a bit. Still behooves us to start whittling away at our stuff sooner rather than later. If, by chance, we sell our current home MONTHS before the new place becomes available, it'll certainly be easier not having a ton of stuff to store in the interim. Hmmm.... I still need to catalog the rackets and get some pictures. (Un)fortunately, the weather will be in the low 80sF for the next few days; so staying inside to de-clutter and re-arrange may have to wait! ;) The convertible and the bicycle are calling! :)
 
dak95_00

dak95_00

Hall of Fame
I tell myself I'm not a collector but still hunt and buy when I see something I know will be sought after by others. I like reselling. If I make a few dollars, I like it more but I like putting racquets in the hands of people who will appreciate them.

I'll get rid of all of mine except the ones I play and the ones I think I'll play. I've been buying wood so I can host a woodie tourney and want to have enough racquets for my friends to be able to play too.

As far as collecting, I just want to have a representative of the racquets I played and had meaning in my life. There were only three racquets and I have two of them now. I just have to find the third and it is a cheapie I could get now for under $20.
 
rodracquet

rodracquet

Rookie
Racquet Collecting

Well I see racquet collecting within the mix expressed above. You can aim to collect as many as you possibly or you can zero in on specific sub groups like metal racquets, like tournament winning racquets, like player racquets etc. Everyone has their own take on what and how much to collect.

To start with when I see a wall you can make a decision to hang three pictures or put up 40 racquets. If you look at racquets as artwork, I do, then you should keep at least 40 favourites.

The rest sell them to people who want them. Finding racquets is great fun and so is selling them to make a few bucks along the way. I sell to hopefully end up owning a collection for free. (At least this keeps my wife at bay). Regularly a $10 racquet sells for $30-150 if you know what you are buying.

Obviously, a time will come for someone to takeover or sell the rest. Either do it yourself or check out the local sporting auctioneers.

Pick a good one. A mate rang having just spent $60 only to buy 26 racquets just for the one he was chasing. I think the 25 are coming my way to sort out what do next and I bet I can turn that $60 into $350-$400.

Good luck on your sale and the other thing is if you aren't to short of cash for living then at least you can turn the collection into a trip to Wimbledon or Roland Garros and enjoy the views on the way.

By the way I probably only have 160 racquets. That is about my limit.
 
jimbo333

jimbo333

Hall of Fame
coachrick said:
Not that I need a reason to procrastinate(I am an expert, I reckon ;) ); but I just got word that the new neighborhood where we are most interested in buying won't even start construction until June. :(

Here in the States, the housing market is most active during spring for home searches and summer for actual closing and moving. That complicates matters a bit. Still behooves us to start whittling away at our stuff sooner rather than later. If, by chance, we sell our current home MONTHS before the new place becomes available, it'll certainly be easier not having a ton of stuff to store in the interim. Hmmm.... I still need to catalog the rackets and get some pictures. (Un)fortunately, the weather will be in the low 80sF for the next few days; so staying inside to de-clutter and re-arrange may have to wait! The convertible and the bicycle are calling! :)
Click to expand...

Well I used to procrastinate all the time, but not any more, I just end up doing as many easy, less important, things as I can instead:?
 
vwfye

vwfye

Semi-Pro
Rick, perhaps you could do what I did... the usable part of my collection is now being used by many of my HS players that can't afford new stuff. Most of them got a racquet for $25 and that inclueded new strings. I get to see them being used and know that the students appreciate not having to buy a W*&m@#t piece of poo.
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
vwfye said:
Rick, perhaps you could do what I did... the usable part of my collection is now being used by many of my HS players that can't afford new stuff. Most of them got a racquet for $25 and that inclueded new strings. I get to see them being used and know that the students appreciate not having to buy a W*&m@#t piece of poo.
Click to expand...

That's a thought. I've refurbished a number of sticks over the years, donating them to local parks primarily. Selling some of them for a few bucks is a nice compromise, especially if they go to kids who need them at a fraction of the cost of something off the rack.
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
gavna said:
How about a list of what you have in ur collection?????
Simple view of what's hanging on your walls?
Click to expand...

I'm hoping to work on that later in the week. Been heading in other directions since first posting...house-hunting mainly but the 'clearance' sale has started(hoping gold holds on for one more day...already 'lost' a few bucks on the old jewelry and scrap silver).
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
gavna said:
What part of town are you looking at?

Buddy of mine (loooooong time teaching pro here in Htown and ex UH player in its heyday) just bought a hacienda style in Mason, Tx and going to install a grass court and retire there next yr. I'm partial to New Braunfels and the wife prefers Wimberly - still deciding which way to go.

Apparently Mason is this tennis Mecca for retired players and ex pros???? Who knew?
Click to expand...

DW wants to stay closer to town on the north side. We're in Avery Ranch, the northernmost part of the city limits of Austin. Family is north Austin and up to Lampasas(a truly sleepy retirement possibility in another decade or so). Oddly, DW used to visit Newk's yearly from Atlanta...I never made the trip from the hot Atlanta courts to the hotter Texas courts! I've still not visited the place. :(

Cowboy brother-in-law almost bought a hunk of land in Wimberley just as the bottom fell out of the market...glad we didn't get involved in that. It's a little too far from civilization for me...again, maybe in another decade or so.;)

I've never been west of Marble Falls! Didn't know about Mason's tennis attraction. Looks like it's been going on for a while...this article is from 1976!
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1091814/
 
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vwfye

vwfye

Semi-Pro
Rich,
just some more encouragement to work with local kids... yesterday I witnessed my old bubblebee, mitt and an old price all win their high school matches! It brought me great joy.
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
vwfye said:
Rich,
just some more encouragement to work with local kids... yesterday I witnessed my old bubblebee, mitt and an old price all win their high school matches! It brought me great joy.
Click to expand...

Excellent! I'm a bit behind schedule as our little Scottie-girl is fighting her second and third cancer battles. Required an emergency vet visit on Saturday and put a bit of a damper on the weekend. She's doing better today...just got back from a walk as the cold front brought in about a 15 degree drop in the temp...Miss Katie loved the cold breeze moving in ! :)

We're also prepping for the upcoming neighborhood garage sale this Saturday(We SWEAR we're going to actually get ready for this one and ACTUALLY participate ).
 
vwfye

vwfye

Semi-Pro
Scottie, eh? We have had 3 prior scotties in our world and currently have 1 with our black lab... speedy recovery to your little girl!
 
Racquet Daddy

Racquet Daddy

Rookie
I coach in Central Texas, and we take our kids to Mason High School to play a couple times during the season. Sometimes kids get bused out to private courts to play - pretty fun. Their "court to citizen" ratio in that town is ridiculous. Love playing in their Dr. Pepper Open when I can. My uncles in San Antonio actually played in it for a few summers in the early 80s. Really nice people; crazy about tennis. Fredericksburg is a bit "bigger," nice B&B's, and has some good local tennis, too.

vwfye - I've been doing the same thing with some of my older Heads. Kinda leaking them into the stash of school racquets. Personally, I like the way some of these kids swing a 30 year old Team Pro more than anything you can buy at Wally World.
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
vwfye said:
Scottie, eh? We have had 3 prior scotties in our world and currently have 1 with our black lab... speedy recovery to your little girl!
Click to expand...

Thanks! Katie was a therapy dog back in Atlanta, visiting children's hospitals, nursing homes, re-hab centers, etc. We figure she earned a few karma points during those years. :) She had successful liver cancer surgery almost 4 years ago but we're fighting the current tumors (lung and adrenal gland) with Paladia. She's had a good result for about 4 months; but we know it may just be a matter of time with an eleven year-old Scottie. She's the only pet we've had in our 13 years of marriage. Paws are crossed. :)

Give your pups a pat on the head from us! ;)
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
A bit of an update, if I may...
Many of you are aware of the hype surrounding Austin, TX, calling it the 'top place for this' , 'top place for that', etc. As a result, 160 people are moving to Austin EACH DAY !

Owing in no small measure to this 'hype', our house received THREE full-price contracts on the FIRST day we accepted offers!!! That's good news and bad. Good...we sold the house! Bad...we have to FIND a new place in the hottest market on the planet(so it would seem). We close on July 17, but have a lease-back option if we haven't found anything by then.

In other words...
I REALLY NEED to get my racket clearing self in GEAR!!!

Details soon(I hope! ;) )
 
galain

galain

Hall of Fame
coachrick

How's Katie doing?

and congrats (I think) on the house!

Hope doggy is doing better.
 
joe sch

joe sch

Legend
coachrick said:
A bit of an update, if I may...
Many of you are aware of the hype surrounding Austin, TX, calling it the 'top place for this' , 'top place for that', etc. As a result, 160 people are moving to Austin EACH DAY !

Owing in no small measure to this 'hype', our house received THREE full-price contracts on the FIRST day we accepted offers!!! That's good news and bad. Good...we sold the house! Bad...we have to FIND a new place in the hottest market on the planet(so it would seem). We close on July 17, but have a lease-back option if we haven't found anything by then.

In other words...
I REALLY NEED to get my racket clearing self in GEAR!!!

Details soon(I hope! ;) )
Click to expand...

Congrats Rick !

Same situation up North here in Dallas.
I just sold my Southlake house first day on market for list price. I also purchased a house a day earlier and offered full price and was competing against 2 other offers at list price. Crazy few months ahead for me also. I will be keeping my racket stashes :) Maybe you will not have enough time to give away rackets also ;) Wishing you the best !
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
galain said:
coachrick

How's Katie doing?

and congrats (I think) on the house!

Hope doggy is doing better.
Click to expand...

Thanks...some good and some bad. We dropped the chemo for now as the Katie-girl was developing some other concerns that needed immediate attention.(spine and hip issues) We have those under control and will meet with the onco-docs in two weeks. Just had Katie groomed today and she looks 5 years younger!

Word of warning...my advanced age is about 30 years too old to spend the night on a tile floor next to the pup ;) . OUCH!
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
joe sch said:
Congrats Rick !

Same situation up North here in Dallas.
I just sold my Southlake house first day on market for list price. I also purchased a house a day earlier and offered full price and was competing against 2 other offers at list price. Crazy few months ahead for me also. I will be keeping my racket stashes :) Maybe you will not have enough time to give away rackets also ;) Wishing you the best !
Click to expand...

Thanks joe!
The buyer said we should let him know about items we wish to sell...seems this is an 'additional' house, so it will need furnishing. Half on a lark, I offered the 33 piece pre-1930s racket collection for $500...Who Knows??? I could try to sell it piece by piece, but I doubt any of the old wood sticks would be worth too much individually.
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
jonestim said:
I was cruising my local craigslist for racquets and just came across some guy who is also downsizing. He is selling 1,115 woodies for $2k.

http://bend.craigslist.org/clt/3860488516.html

And I thought I had a problem with having too many.....
Click to expand...
Gotta check that out!
I couldn't remember where I had seen "Bend, OR" so many times when I met a couple from there(here in Austin). They have a town house in a complex we considered. Nice guy, oil fellow of some sort...Gary and James (father and son...don't remember wife's name). Said the property taxes up there are WAY high! Building a bigger place outside of Austin. Nice folks.

I sure am glad you solved that mystery for me! ;)
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
Bumping my own thread, we have reached a critical point in this adventure...we are closing on the sale of our house on July 17 and our offer on a town house has been accepted!!! Our purchase closing date is July 19...time to get serious about moving!!!

To that end, I'll ask the TT experts which photo-sharing service I should us when posting pics of items(rackets) for sale. I know there are two or three popular sites; but I might as well pick the friendliest(user-friendly AND quality photo-friendly). What say ye??

Thanks all !!!
 
joe sch

joe sch

Legend
coachrick said:
Bumping my own thread, we have reached a critical point in this adventure...we are closing on the sale of our house on July 17 and our offer on a town house has been accepted!!! Our purchase closing date is July 19...time to get serious about moving!!!

To that end, I'll ask the TT experts which photo-sharing service I should us when posting pics of items(rackets) for sale. I know there are two or three popular sites; but I might as well pick the friendliest(user-friendly AND quality photo-friendly). What say ye??

Thanks all !!!
Click to expand...

photobucket dot com
 
hrstrat57

hrstrat57

Hall of Fame
I have had good luck with Picasa, but I am an existing user....photobucket or flicker are better if you are just setting up an account for the liquidation.

I am downsizing huge too....skis, boots, golf club and tennis racquet collection all have been undergoing reduction to gamers only.

I am down to 3 pair of skis (from over 20 at times) 3 sets of clubs and a few singles (down from mass quantities) 3 pair of ski boots (down from over a dozen) and hope to get the tennis racquet collection down to 10-15 frames. A big push on the big auction site is imminent....

Multiple road bikes down to 4, will drop down to a pair.

It needs to be done, obsession consumes too much of my energy.

Good luck with it and sorry about the troubles with your pup. Enjoy the new home, a downsize in domicile or condo is on the horizon for me soon too I hope.....
 
joe sch

joe sch

Legend
hrstrat57 said:
I have had good luck with Picasa, but I am an existing user....photobucket or flicker are better if you are just setting up an account for the liquidation.

I am downsizing huge too....skis, boots, golf club and tennis racquet collection all have been undergoing reduction to gamers only.

I am down to 3 pair of skis (from over 20 at times) 3 sets of clubs and a few singles (down from mass quantities) 3 pair of ski boots (down from over a dozen) and hope to get the tennis racquet collection down to 10-15 frames. A big push on the big auction site is imminent....

Multiple road bikes down to 4, will drop down to a pair.

It needs to be done, obsession consumes too much of my energy.

Good luck with it and sorry about the troubles with your pup. Enjoy the new home, a downsize in domicile or condo is on the horizon for me soon too I hope.....
Click to expand...

Like how you are allowing "gamers" first shot at the goods in your sports complex. I also had a sports museum setup at one time and now am overflowed in too small of a house. Appears many of us really enjoyed our classics :)
 
max

max

Legend
My deal has been to try out the old frames that I passed by, back in the day, and then find a way after I mess around with them to rightly recirculate them.
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
Good to hear the various 'stories' regarding our obsession. We're culling the herd, as it were, with surplus kitchen ware(I'm a sucker for a bargain on cast iron cookery or knives) and sundry items. First piece of DW's serious antique furniture is going this afternoon...$6600 for a corner chest(a good deal for the neighbor-buyer) will make my racket collection look like a pittance.

I'm finally able to take the photos and will post soon. The hundred--degree weather makes it easier to stay inside to work ;_...otherwise, I have a couple of outdoor projects to complete for the new owner.

I'm down to one road bike, one hybrid(urban assault vehicle) and one legit off-road bike. Won't need a lawn mower, pressure washer, etc etc. Feels weird, but liberating at the same time :)

The Katie-pup is going about her business...we've dropped the chemo for now, addressing some hip/spine issues. As long as she's pain-free and can 'do her thing', I'm happy to sell whatever I need to in order to keep her that way!

Give your pets at pat from Katie, y'all!!! :)
 
anirut

anirut

Legend
Sorry to hear that you'll have to part with your rackets, coach.

Got any to sell to this guy in this part of the world? Pls PM me if you feel like passing some this way.
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
anirut said:
Sorry to hear that you'll have to part with your rackets, coach.

Got any to sell to this guy in this part of the world? Pls PM me if you feel like passing some this way.
Click to expand...

I'm hoping to have a list in the next day or so.

The pre-1940s woods may have a buyer from my C-list ad.
 
coachrick

coachrick

Hall of Fame
And here we go...I 'think' I created a photobucket account under "10sCoachRick" and I 'think' the rackets are viewable by the public. :) Bear with me folks...this move is wearing me out!

I'll post in the FS/FT section, but it won't show up for a couple of days if things are like they used to be.

I'll edit and clear things up as I can in the next couple of days.
Adios, y'all.
 
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