Item L18 / L19
This Item was Sold on 9 July 2020
for $125
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Jonas Romblad is well known for his composite MTAs. Many collectors are unaware that Jonas is also famous for making beautiful laminated art boomerangs. Some of these boomerangs were featured in Many Happy Returns #55 (Summer 1995). The paid of lefty MTA boomerangs shown below are one of Jonas' earliest attempts at laminating boomerangs. Jonas sent me this pair in 1988 after he studied existing MTA models and selected my Wind Sailor as the basis for his comosite MTA. Both MTAs are made out of a very dark hardwood with gorgeous burl and/or fiddleback grain patterns. The photo does not do them justice. The workmanship is superb and the airfoils match that of the Wind Sailor MTA. One of the MTAs ( L19 ) has a raptor in flight inlaid in a light colored veneer for contrast. I think that this pair is unique. I am not aware of any other left handed laminated boomerangs made by Jonas and I have not seen any MTAs constructed out of laminate hardwoods by Jonas. This is a special set. I have never thrown either of these because they are special collectibles, but they appear to be made properly. They may require delicate tuning and careful throwing if you must put them in the air. L19 Specifications: Left Handed ; Tip-to-tip Span = 36 cm ; Weight = 18 gm
Jonas Romblad made a major contribution to the sport of boomerang throwing in the late 1980s when he developed the first composite MTA. These MTAs used a similar design as the Bailey Wind Sailor MTA. The major difference was that the Romblad MTAs were not made out of plywood. Instead, they were made out of numerous materials in a composite matrix. This new construction method kept the MTA in perfect tune so the thrower did not need to alter the tune before throwing in competition. The Romblad MTAs became essential equipment for most serious competitors. Jonas originally sold them for $100 each and they were worth it. After a few years, Jonas became preoccupied with getting his Ph.D and then with his Engineering career. Ultimately, Jonas dropped out of the boomerang scene and other manufacturers started making replacement models. Not many of the Jonas MTA boomerangs have survived over the years. A few broke when they hit the ground on a bad throw, but the majority of them just floated away. In the late 1990s, I sold approximately a dozen of these in boomerang auctions (#9, #11, #12). The prices realized were between $176 and $285 each. Today, there are more than a dozen manufacturers who make composite MTAs, but none of these have the reputation of the Romblad MTA. |
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