old A&F racquet

[sstes]

Hello everyone. I recently came across a racquet and am having a hard time finding out much information about it. Hoping someone here might be able to enlighten me. It has a cover with the following information: "Abercrombie & Fitch, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, by Tensor, United States Lawn Tennis Association U.S.L.T.A. organized 1881, selected racquet." I have searched all online and cannot find any others like it, but I did come across an obitutary for a man named Jay Monroe at http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A07E0DB143EF931A35754C0A9619C8B63 and part of it speaks of what I believe is this racquet saying "The most prominent new gadget was a steel tennis racket that Abercrombie & Fitch featured in advertisements and the United States Lawn Tennis Association endorsed." This is the only information I have been able to find online. The U.S.L.T.A. changed it's name to U.S.T.A. in 1975, so this racquet has to be from before that date. I am considering putting it on auction so any info or help would be appreciated.

http://s1058.photobucket.com/albums/t401/sstes/?action=view&current=sports_tennis_AFraquet.jpg

 

[michael_1265]

Hello everyone. I recently came across a racquet and am having a hard time finding out much information about it. Hoping someone here might be able to enlighten me. It has a cover with the following information: "Abercrombie & Fitch, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, by Tensor, United States Lawn Tennis Association U.S.L.T.A. organized 1881, selected racquet." I have searched all online and cannot find any others like it, but I did come across an obitutary for a man named Jay Monroe at http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A07E0DB143EF931A35754C0A9619C8B63 and part of it speaks of what I believe is this racquet saying "The most prominent new gadget was a steel tennis racket that Abercrombie & Fitch featured in advertisements and the United States Lawn Tennis Association endorsed." This is the only information I have been able to find online. The U.S.L.T.A. changed it's name to U.S.T.A. in 1975, so this racquet has to be from before that date. I am considering putting it on auction so any info or help would be appreciated.

http://s1058.photobucket.com/albums/t401/sstes/?action=view&current=sports_tennis_AFraquet.jpg

I think that these racquets are pretty common, and of relatively low value. I have one that looks a lot like yours, and here is the thread link.

 

[sstes]

I think that these racquets are pretty common, and of relatively low value. I have one that looks a lot like yours, and here is the thread link.

Are you meaning the "Stan Jaret" one you were talking about?

 

[michael_1265]

Are you meaning the "Stan Jaret" one you were talking about?

Yes, it's visually almost exactly like yours, and is a Tensor also.

 

[michael_1265]

Are you meaning the "Stan Jaret" one you were talking about?

Yes, it's visually almost exactly like yours, and is a Tensor also.

 

[schu47]

I have a nice Abercrombie & Fitch 80s graphite racquet, and so looked up a bit of the company's history to try to figure out where it came from. A&F actually started out as an upscale sportings goods company in the late 1800s, catering to big game hunters and fishermen, and was successful for about 80 years until hitting hard times. When it declared bankruptcy in 1977, Oshman's, a sporting goods retailer, bought the name and opened stores in Dallas and Beverly Hills. They sold all kinds of exotic things, like $40,000 elephant guns and $20,000 sports cars, and they also catered to upscale pursuits like golf, exercise and tennis. So I imagine they put their covers on the racquets they sold. They also put their name on some of their frames, although I'm sure some other manufacturer made them. I have one, a really beautiful '80s 85-sq.-in. graphite frame that A&F sold, endorsed by Rod Laver, no less. Here are a few photos of it: it is a good, quality racquet, heavy and solid, not unlike a lot of other good graphite frames of the day. It's also nicely finished, with a cream finish and nice burgundy and navy piping. I've seen a few of these floating around the auction sites, but not many.

The Limited Inc. bought the company from Oshman's in 1988, and now it just sells overpriced clothes.

Anyone know of any other Abercrombie & Fitch racquets? I would imagine this one would be somewhere in catalogs from the company in the mid-1980s.

 

[sstes]

Yes, it's visually almost exactly like yours, and is a Tensor also.

Ok, but that is a different racquet and I have no idea who "Stan Jaret" is. If this is a common racquet I can't find anything like it anywhere. Also, I would think that the combination of that with the well known Abercrombie name, the U.S.L.T.A. endorsement, and the fact that it was used in advertising would add value to it. Not trying to be rude, just trying to get this figured out. Thanks for your input anyway.

 

[sstes]

I have a nice Abercrombie & Fitch 80s graphite racquet, and so looked up a bit of the company's history to try to figure out where it came from. A&F actually started out as an upscale sportings goods company in the late 1800s, catering to big game hunters and fishermen, and was successful for about 80 years until hitting hard times. When it declared bankruptcy in 1977, Oshman's, a sporting goods retailer, bought the name and opened stores in Dallas and Beverly Hills. They sold all kinds of exotic things, like $40,000 elephant guns and $20,000 sports cars, and they also catered to upscale pursuits like golf, exercise and tennis. So I imagine they put their covers on the racquets they sold. They also put their name on some of their frames, although I'm sure some other manufacturer made them. I have one, a really beautiful '80s 85-sq.-in. graphite frame that A&F sold, endorsed by Rod Laver, no less. Here are a few photos of it: it is a good, quality racquet, heavy and solid, not unlike a lot of other good graphite frames of the day. It's also nicely finished, with a cream finish and nice burgundy and navy piping. I've seen a few of these floating around the auction sites, but not many.

The Limited Inc. bought the company from Oshman's in 1988, and now it just sells overpriced clothes.

Anyone know of any other Abercrombie & Fitch racquets? I would imagine this one would be somewhere in catalogs from the company in the mid-1980s.

Very nice. I also read up on the history of Abercrombie hoping it would give me some additional clues but no such luck. This racquet would be pre 1975, and, going by the obituary for Jay Monroe, I would date it between 1959 and 1975. I have sent out a few emails in hopes of finding out more but have received no replies to those yet.

 

[coachrick]

I'd say the model was ca 1970 +- . The 'chromed' steel rackets were everywhere around then and the Tensor was in the middle/lower end of the pack. Usually pre-strung with pretty cheesy string and rather sad grips(many were vinyl but yours looks to be a decent leather w/stitched rib). The metal grommets didn't help matters much and most of the other brands were introducing pretty good grommets or string strips for their metal rackets.

It seemed that Tensor took a bit of a shot at the 'celebrity' end of the market in the early '70s, but Head was the main darling of that crowd, IMO.

I'd say michael is correct in saying they are generally of low value; however, yours does have some 'provenance' that sets it apart from the 'regular' retail Tensor. I'd think it would take a real A&F groupie to pay a significant amount for basically the cover(as the racket itself isn't rare or collectible, IMO).

 

[joe sch]

The A&F rackets were very well made and for the high end market. Unfortunately not collector rackets since none were famous as professional weapons. Not sure why they had Laver endorse the graphite model rather than a top playing pro for that era. Yours is a nice example of a well made metal but there are not lots of collectors for the metals except for the famous player models like the connors t2000, rosewall seamco, newcombe rawlings tiebreaker, and ashe head comp.

 

[Virginia]

I have one, a really beautiful '80s 85-sq.-in. graphite frame that A&F sold, endorsed by Rod Laver, no less. Here are a few photos of it: it is a good, quality racquet, heavy and solid, not unlike a lot of other good graphite frames of the day. It's also nicely finished, with a cream finish and nice burgundy and navy piping. I've seen a few of these floating around the auction sites, but not many.

I have the same model as yours schu47 - you may remember you sold it to me a few years ago.

 

[michael_1265]

Ok, but that is a different racquet and I have no idea who "Stan Jaret" is. If this is a common racquet I can't find anything like it anywhere. Also, I would think that the combination of that with the well known Abercrombie name, the U.S.L.T.A. endorsement, and the fact that it was used in advertising would add value to it. Not trying to be rude, just trying to get this figured out. Thanks for your input anyway.

You might be right, but the limited experience I have had so far for racquet values is that the racquet has to be either the "player" variety, or be a real oddball to have value. Maybe there is an A&F collector slant to this, though. I hope it has good value, and my instinct is wrong.

 

[Hannah19]

Another brand with Rod Laver's name on it.
How many racket brands bare his name?
Snauwaert, Dunlop, Donnay, Chemold, Pro Kennex and now A&F? Talk about endorsements, he was pretty popular

 

[Steve Huff]

Maybe Laver was a racket junkie too.

 

[coachrick]

Another brand with Rod Laver's name on it.
How many racket brands bare his name?
Snauwaert, Dunlop, Donnay, Chemold, Pro Kennex and now A&F? Talk about endorsements, he was pretty popular

So, do we think the graphite A&F racket was made by Kunnan(Kennex)? The LTD designation(used by Kennex around that time), Laver's association with Kennex during the +- 1983 timeframe and the general design of the frame might suggest Kunnan DNA.

I was the Dunlop rep in South Carolina JUST after Laver switched to Kennex. Palmetto Dunes(Hilton Head) was one of my accounts(Laver's base of operations during that time). I was truly disappointed when I found out about that switch.

 

[retrowagen]

So, do we think the graphite A&F racket was made by Kunnan(Kennex)? The LTD designation(used by Kennex around that time), Laver's association with Kennex during the +- 1983 timeframe and the general design of the frame might suggest Kunnan DNA.

I'd agree - the mould looks spot-on to one of the mass-market midsize PK moulds of the mid-1980's, as does the shape and design of the butt cap. Fontface of the "Graphite LTD" graphic too.

 

[sstes]

You might be right, but the limited experience I have had so far for racquet values is that the racquet has to be either the "player" variety, or be a real oddball to have value. Maybe there is an A&F collector slant to this, though. I hope it has good value, and my instinct is wrong.

I am leaning toward the oddball. Maybe between that, the Abercrombie collectors, and any collectors for the defunct "U.S.L.T.A." name will be a good thing. I can hope anyway. Seems I am not finding out much of anything more about it or it's history yet. The mystery continues....

Here is another pic. Someone mentioned the handle so I thought I would give a better pic of it.

 

[sstes]

I called the USTA archivist today and he said that they have almost nothing in the archives from before the 80's and he wishes they did. He said that it sounds like a very unusual racquet and advised me of another person to contact. Nobody has seen it, nobody knows anything about it. I guess the best thing I can do is put it on ****.

 

[sstes]

I called the USTA archivist today and he said that they have almost nothing in the archives from before the 80's and he wishes they did. He said that it sounds like a very unusual racquet and advised me of another person to contact. Nobody has seen it, nobody knows anything about it. I guess the best thing I can do is put it on ****.

That's weird. I guess the system blots out the name of the auction web site I said.

 

[Hannah19]

^^^ That's right, TW sees them as competition or something.
Strange...everyone describes it as "the big auctionsite" and that's not blocked.

 

[zapvor]

I have a nice Abercrombie & Fitch 80s graphite racquet, and so looked up a bit of the company's history to try to figure out where it came from. A&F actually started out as an upscale sportings goods company in the late 1800s, catering to big game hunters and fishermen, and was successful for about 80 years until hitting hard times. When it declared bankruptcy in 1977, Oshman's, a sporting goods retailer, bought the name and opened stores in Dallas and Beverly Hills. They sold all kinds of exotic things, like $40,000 elephant guns and $20,000 sports cars, and they also catered to upscale pursuits like golf, exercise and tennis. So I imagine they put their covers on the racquets they sold. They also put their name on some of their frames, although I'm sure some other manufacturer made them. I have one, a really beautiful '80s 85-sq.-in. graphite frame that A&F sold, endorsed by Rod Laver, no less. Here are a few photos of it: it is a good, quality racquet, heavy and solid, not unlike a lot of other good graphite frames of the day. It's also nicely finished, with a cream finish and nice burgundy and navy piping. I've seen a few of these floating around the auction sites, but not many.

The Limited Inc. bought the company from Oshman's in 1988, and now it just sells overpriced clothes.

Anyone know of any other Abercrombie & Fitch racquets? I would imagine this one would be somewhere in catalogs from the company in the mid-1980s.

[I

i have this one as well. didnt know there was a metal one! interesting