Condition
9
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
10: New
9: Mint
8: Excellent
7: Good
6: Fair
5: Average
4: Below Average
3: Poor
10: Impossibly rare
9: Extremely rare
8: Hard to find
7: Fairly rare
6: Uncommon
5: Common
<4: Big Seller
– – – – – – – – – – –
About This Racket
Bancroft were big in the USA but not well known in Europe. 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. Borg was contracted to use Bancroft rackets worldwide and then only in the U.S. in the 1970s but eventually was won over by Donnay. However Bancroft produced some of the most beautiful rackets ever made. This one was always one of my favourites, with bold graphics and “hand crafted Bamboo-ash-maple laminated frame”
Specifications
| Measurements | Value | Performance | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 360g | Power | 19/100 |
| Head Size & Length | 65sq in | 27inch | Control | 41/100 |
| Balance | 5pt head heavy | Spin | 40/100 |
| Grip | Perforated leather | Handling | 78/100 |
| Strings | 18 x 20 | synthetic | Comfort | 89/100 |
| Flexibility | RA 43 | Consistency | 59/100 |
Gallery
Bancroft by Time
| Year | Event |
| 1882 | Founded by Frederick J. Bancroft in Pawtucket, Rhode Island |
| 1906 | Bancroft is manufacturing over 35,000 rackets a year |
| 1912 | Bancroft offers its first racket under its own name (“The Bancroft”) |
| 1915 | Bancroft patents the 3-ply laminated racket |
| 1920s | Bill Tilden, world’s top player, uses Bancroft |
| 1941 | Bancroft introduces the “Streamliner” model |
| 1940s | The Bancroft brothers sell the company |
| 1950s | Bancroft introduces its first aluminium tennis racket |
| 1960s | Bancroft begins using fiberglass in their rackets |
| 1970s | Bancroft introduces the iconic “Big Stick” racket |
| 1976-79 | Billie Jean King uses a custom Bancroft |
| 1978 | Bancroft introduces the Scorpion, their first graphite racket |
| 1980s | Bancroft is acquired by Spalding |
| 1990s | Bancroft ceases operations |