Bancroft Borg Personal

Bancroft

Bancroft Borg Personal (1977)

Condition
10
10: New
9: Mint
8: Excellent
7: Good
6: Fair
5: Average
4: Below Average
3: Poor
| Rarity
8
10: Impossibly rare
9: Extremely rare
8: Hard to find
7: Fairly rare
6: Uncommon
5: Common
<4: Big Seller
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About This Racket

Borg was contracted to use Bancroft rackets worldwide from 1977 to 1979 and then in 1980 restricted to use only in the U.S. but eventually he was won over by Donnay. Donnay sponsored Björn Borg from 1975 to 1983 with a contract of around $600,000 a year, plus royalties. On a high from Borg’s success Bancroft made several Borg special editions. This racket could be the best of them all in terms of looks and design. The black and white livery is out of this world, especially with jet black strings! However Borg did not agree, in 1979 after back-to-back testing he decided he preferred the way Donnay Pro handled. So he had the new Donnay Borg Pros painted as Bancrofts so he could preserve his contract.

Historical Photos
Specifications
MeasurementsValuePerformanceScore
Weight360gPower19/100
Head Size & Length65sq in | 27inchControl41/100
Balance5pt head heavySpin40/100
GripPerforated leatherHandling78/100
Strings18 x 20 | syntheticComfort89/100
FlexibilityRA 43Consistency59/100
About Bancroft

Bancroft was a very traditional wooden racket company from USA. It was extremely successful in the 60s and 70s and produced some amazing rackets and nice innovations including the use of Bamboo. However it failed to expand outside of USA and failed to adapt to new materials and technologies of the 80s 90s. When Borg switched to Donnay, the writing was on the wall for Bancroft.

Gallery
Bancroft by Time
YearEvent
1882Founded by Frederick J. Bancroft in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
1906Bancroft is manufacturing over 35,000 rackets a year
1912Bancroft offers its first racket under its own name (“The Bancroft”)
1915Bancroft patents the 3-ply laminated racket
1920sBill Tilden, world’s top player, uses Bancroft
1941Bancroft introduces the “Streamliner” model
1940sThe Bancroft brothers sell the company
1950sBancroft introduces its first aluminium tennis racket
1960sBancroft begins using fiberglass in their rackets
1976-80Borg uses a stock and custom Bancroft
1976-79Billie Jean King uses a custom Bancroft
1978Bancroft introduces the Scorpion, their first graphite racket
1984Bancroft is acquired by Spalding
1990Bancroft ceases operations