Head (Prestige) mid history

[retrowagen]

Yes, the “Pre-Prestige” was from the same box beam mold as the 1986-1988 Graphite Pro(fessional) and Composite Pro(fessional), and a bevy of other models from said mold (Team Pro, Club Pro, etc.), and was available in Europe in 1985, never in North America or elsewhere, as far as I know.

The model name was quickly moved in late 1985 to the revolutionary new-for-1986 thin-beamed, 89.5 square inch mid-plus Prestige Pro—except in North America, where (from 1984 up to that moment), the TX models (TXE Edge and TXD Director) had been the top performance models. Head (US, in Colorado) marketed the new Prestige Pro as the TXP, and also introduced a new oversized model called the TXM (Master), both of which replaced the TXE and TXD, which were retired. In 1988, after a global restructuring of the Head company, the TXP and TXM were standardized in their graphics and model names with the “rest of the world” Prestige Pro and Prestige Master models.

That original 1985 Prestige was an interesting footnote to the lineage, but not from the same engineering brief as the thinbeam models with CAP grommets, which has seemed to always define the model franchise.

 

[Grafil Injection]

Yes, the “Pre-Prestige” was from the same box beam mold as the 1986-1988 Graphite Pro(fessional) and Composite Pro(fessional), and a bevy of other models from said mold (Team Pro, Club Pro, etc.), and was available in Europe in 1985, never in North America or elsewhere, as far as I know.

The model name was quickly moved in late 1985 to the revolutionary new-for-1986 thin-beamed, 89.5 square inch mid-plus Prestige Pro—except in North America, where (from 1984 up to that moment), the TX models (TXE Edge and TXD Director) had been the top performance models. Head (US, in Colorado) marketed the new Prestige Pro as the TXP, and also introduced a new oversized model called the TXM (Master), both of which replaced the TXE and TXD, which were retired. In 1988, after a global restructuring of the Head company, the TXP and TXM were standardized in their graphics and model names with the “rest of the world” Prestige Pro and Prestige Master models.

That original 1985 Prestige was an interesting footnote to the lineage, but not from the same engineering brief as the thinbeam models with CAP grommets, which has seemed to always define the model franchise.

Yes, the weird thing is the Austrian Graphite and Comp Pros with the same styles as the gold Prestige are advertised in March 1985 edition of UK Tennis World, so it seems like it either came after them for a few months later in 85 but before the PP in 86, or perhaps it was even released in 1984 given the old style AMF label. Leconte seems to be using the brown PP at FO86 and certainly is at Wimbledon 86, so that leaves a very narrow retail window for the mysterious gold Prestige, unless it was available at the same time as the PP.

 

[vsbabolat]

Yes, the weird thing is the Austrian Graphite and Comp Pros with the same styles as the gold Prestige are advertised in March 1985 edition of UK Tennis World, so it seems like it either came after them for a few months later in 85 but before the PP in 86, or perhaps it was even released in 1984 given the old style AMF label. Leconte seems to be using the brown PP at FO86 and certainly is at Wimbledon 86, so that leaves a very narrow retail window for the mysterious gold Prestige, unless it was available at the same time as the PP.

1985 was the last year of the AMF logo. From 1986 onward it was gone off HEAD rackets. I have early production USA Comp Pro that were made in Austria with the same AMF HEAD butt-cap sticker

 

[Kafel69]

bumping up to the first page of classics, just because lol btw, did they ever release the 2.0 grommets? was curious if they fit the OG mids.