Great photos, thanks so much for uploading them.
So the below traces (with a few years missing) the Sears Special from 1889 to 1902.
The 1889 and 1890 rackets don’t have the waves and dots logo so can be discounted. Interestingly, the 1889 ad suggests that the racket comes with a chequered grip but the illustration is of a combed grip.
The 1891 racket is the first one which appears with the waves and dots logo and a chequered grip. The “Special” marking is evident. Does your racket have that wording on the side to the right of the logo on the wedge, like the illustrations? The wording on your racket is a little more jaunty than that of the illustrations, being a little curved. However I don’t generally trust the draftsman’s pen to be entirely accurate so I wouldn’t use that as a criterion.
I don’t have an ad for 1892 yet, which is a shame. However, given that the design of the racket in the 1891 and 1893 ads is identical, I can’t imagine that they went suddenly off-piste for a single year in 1892.
Presumably to the delight of George Wright and Henry Ditson but to our frustration in trying to date your frame, the design of the racket (according to the ads) doesn’t seem to change one iota between 1893 and 1899.
In 1902, the waves and dots logo is replaced by the words “Mass USA” below “Boston”.
So, assuming it is a “Sears Special” on the basis of the “Special” wording (I have not seen another racket from W&D over this time period with a “Special” name), then it will date from between 1891 and 1901 (I did look at a 1901 ad earlier and it was the same as the others).
The fact the racket could have been produced at any point over a full decade is not by any measure the kind of precise dating that you were hoping for, my apologies. I am scouring the photos for any other clues.
The flat head is one anomaly as these ads don’t suggest a similar design (tilt-headed rackets being much earlier and flat headed rackets in the US typically having concave wedges). One thing worth checking is whether the flat head and slightly asymmetrical design are down to warping.
If the strings are original, then the fact the centre mains are all unbroken might have pulled the top of the hoop down.
If the strings are more modern (for example, it might have been restrung in the last 50-75 years if the racket was displayed), then the stringing process and the tightness of the strings very often exert more pressure than the frame can handle.
The photos of the very top of the frame suggest some fracturing of the wood (photos 8, 9 and 12) while the top of the head almost seems to be slightly bent down into the hoop in photo 12. I might be mistaken but there may be signs of some lateral warping in photos 8 and 9.
The other points I had from a quick review today were:
- The lack of model name at the top of the hoop above the side of the wedge with the logo on it. Is it a trick of the light or has something been scrubbed off the wood in photo 12? And is that the same side of the racket as the logo? As you can see from the ads, the “Sears” wording is positioned between the 8th and 11th main string. If something has been scrubbed, much of the work appears to have been done between the 9th and 11th main. Definitely worth a closer look if possible.
- Your racket is strung on a 18*23 pattern. In all but one of the ads, the “Sears Special” is shown as being strung on a 18*24 design. I think your racket is missing a cross string at the bottom from looking at the photos - there’s a big gap between the wedge and the first cross that doesn’t exist in the ads. Again, this is supportive of it being a “Sears Special”.
- It’s a small point, but the “T” in “Boston” on your racket seems shorter than in the ads (though beware the draftsman’s pen etc etc). Has any of the gold leaf been visibly rubbed off there?
