Item BG08
This Item was Sold on 26 September
2009 for $96
Other collectable boomerangs for sale can be found on the
Collectable , Hardwood
or Art Boomerang links.
Historical Pricing information for this item and similar
collectable boomerangs can be found on the Boomerang
Pricing Guide
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.