Les & Arthur Janetzki's "Razor Gang"

Item BG08     

This Item was Sold on 26 September 2009 for $96


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The Janetzki brothers (Les & Arthur) made some of the finest competition and sporting boomerangs in the 20th Century. Les & Arthur made very few boomerangs and they were almost never sold. Instead, they were given away as gifts to other throwers that they met at tournaments. Les & Arthur Janetzki wereVaudeville performers in the early 1900s. After they retired in the1960s, they started making and throwing boomerangs at their home in the town of Albury. They were senior citizens when they made their first boomerang and they continued with their boomerang hobby until their death nearly three decades later. Les would construct his own plywood by laminating packing box boards together, shaping the airfoils and sanding them smooth. Arthur would apply the art work. When they were done, they had a wonderful flying piece of art with legendary performance in events such as Accuracy, Consecutive Catch and Australian Round. These boomerangs worked so well that they were nicknamed the "Rolls Royce" of all boomerangs and upon the suggestion of Brother Brian Thomas, they started painting the initials "RJR" on the reverse side of the elbows in the 1980s with "RR" representing "Rolls Royce" and "J" representing "Janetzki". Owners of these fine boomerangs have been reluctant to sell them. Janetzki boomerangs can still be found in the throw kits of the most seasoned competitors as well as in the best collections. Premium Janetzki boomerangs can sell for hundreds of dollars and some of the finest examples have sold for more than $1,000!

Only a few examples of the very unusual Razor-Gang model exist. The design is similar to Rusty Harding's Razor boomerang. This is an early model that does not have the RJR on the underside of the elbow. The words "RAZOR-GANG" are painted on the upper surface of the lift arm as shown in the photo below. This example has a small defect in the wood at the base of the dingle arm, located near the elbow, otherwise it is in very good condition. This is a very light weight boomerang that was probably made out of lapped Balsa, Poplar, Spruce or some other low density wood.

Specifications: Right Handed ; Tip-to-tip Span = 42 cm ; Weight = 68 gm


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