Two new additions to the collection today: a racket and a book.

The racket is a beautiful early 1980s Slazenger Vilas V24. It’s a wood racket, that is graphite reinforced, allowing it to overcome the structural limitations of using wood alone. Head size is approximately 85 square inches, and it weighs 402g! It really is a super looking frame and a fine example of English craftsmanship. 

The book is a 1928 (!) first edition of “Lacoste on Tennis” by the legendary Rene Lacoste. It appears to be a technical instruction guide. Will definitely give it a read through at some point, though given it’s age, I’ll have to be a bit careful handling it!

My latest acquisition, a Yonex Carbonex 2. Nice looking frame, in good condition. Wooden with graphite inlays. Has a broken string and I can’t fit it on my machine, so it’ll have to stay that way for a while.

The latest addition to my collection: a lovely Lacoste LT301 with the unique Equijet system. Great condition frame. Weighs in at 372g, strung with a leather grip and overgrip. Feels lovely to swing, but has a pretty small sweetspot and is a very low powered frame; it makes you do the work, but when you do the results are devastating. 

A little selection of my photos from Copenhagen.

Really is a lovely place. Quiet a light and vibrant place, with wide streets and a cycle lane on every one of them. Surprisingly quiet; seemingly very few tourists. Some great cultural institutions to visit and a couple of excellent water holes. 

I would say that nothing is rotten in the state of Denmark (that’s a Shakespeare reference. If you don’t get it, get more educated).

A selection of my food from Copenhagen. Mostly Danish pastries. Did try 13 different beers too.

A lovely near mint condition Lacoste LT310 for my collection. Literally is almost brand new; no scuffs to the bumper and only two tiny paint chips. Having said that, the grip was in an appalling state and I immediately replaced it with a nice leather grip and an overgrip on top. Headsize is slightly smaller than a Pure Drive and slightly bigger than a Prestige MP. Weight is 358g (thanks to the leather and overgrip; was 345g before them). Has the Accelo-Damp; will be interesting to see how effective it is. However, I’ll have to wait and see, as I go on holiday to Copenhagen tomorrow!

Dunlop Maxply, a classic of the wooden era. Not sure exactly how old this racket is; the Maxply was manufactured from 1935 to 1985! My guess is that this is an earlier, rather than later model. Not in the greatest condition, some scratches to the head and paint chips, not to mention a serious warping (!), though it still has the original leather. Definitely not as beautiful as the Gauthier I got last week, but it doesn’t look too bad for a piece of tennis history.

Another addition to the collection; a seemingly rather rare Gauthier G.07. Still in good condition; just a few scrapes on the top and still has the original (though somewhat worn) leather grip. Interesting that it has a tiny spilt shaft; makes it look a little weird. Weighs in at 366g unstrung. It did come to me strung and I had intended to hit with it yesterday, but the strings were so brittle, I thought they would simply disintegrate at the slightest contact with a ball. Will string it up at some point, though it doesn’t fit on my Star 5, as the billiards are too small! When I do string it, definitely going with some power pads, partly because it’ll look good on the old frame and partly because one of the holes in the throat has worn down quite a bit.

Another racket! A Snauwaert Graphite Dyno. Pretty good looking racket; just a few scratches around the hoop and still has the original leather grip. Similar to a Yonex, in that the head is slightly more square, to give a larger sweetspot. I estimate the head size to be a little less than 90 square inches, and it weighs in at 385g. Strung it up in Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour 1.25 (closest colour match to the yellow on the frame) and Pacific Powerline 1.33 at 25/24kg. This is the third Snauwaert in my collection, meaning I now have more Snauwaert rackets than Wilsons. 

Another new arrival. The first Fischer for my collection, a Match Maker One. Bought for the bargain price of £1.24 plus postage. My research tells me it is a composite frame from the 1970s. Has the small head size of a wooden racket, with the open throat (a very long one!) of a modern racket. Weighs in at a healthy 356g. Unfortunately the head is too small to fit on my stringing machine, so that will have to be put on hold for a while. Strings currently in there seem older than me!