Item TB43
This Item was Sold for
$175
Other collectable boomerangs for sale can be found on the
Collectable , Hardwood
and Art Boomerang web links.
Historical Pricing information for this item and similar
collectable boomerangs can be found on the Boomerang
Pricing Guide
Herb Smith was one of England's greatest boomerang
makers. Herb started making Birch plywood hooks and
traditional boomerangs in the 1960s and was one of the first
suppliers of boomerangs to the Boomerang Man in the early
1970s. Before Al Gerhards started making his S/L hooks, Herb
Smith was the only commercial supplier of long distance
boomerangs. One of the first boomerangs I ever purchased was
a large weighted Sussex Hook with a range of 80+ metres. I
became an instant fan. Herb was an early Long Distance World
Record holder with a carefully documented throw of 108 yards
on 17 June 1972 using a large weighted traditional model
called the "Gem". In the 1980s, Herb introduced the world to
Paxolin material, a dense and hard composite material that
significantly extended the range of his plywood models. Herb
continued to make plywood models as Sports boomerangs, even
after the introduction of the Paxolin models. The Paxolin
boomerangs were smaller and usually painted in two colors
and with simple line art banding. The wooden models were
often decorated with many colorful bands, flowers, birds and
occasionally other themes. Herb did most of his own art
work, but while he was a prison guard, he employed the
skills of master forgers in the prison where he worked. Herb
stopped making boomerangs in the late 1980s and the
boomerang world was without one of it's greatest craftsman.
Then suddenly in the early 1990s, Herb started making
Paxolin and finely decorated Birch plywood models. This
continued until Herb's death in 1995. Herb's models have
become among the finest of collectable boomerangs as the
supply continues to diminish. The "Gold Finch" is a light weight nicely decorated omega
that was made in 1993. It was constructed during the brief
and brilliant final few years of Herb's life and was given
to Brian Thomas during Herb's only visit to Australia. This
boomerang is in mint condition and is dated and signed with
Herb's beautiful handwriting. This boomerang is from the estate of Brother Brian
Thomas. This is a boomerang that Brian never let out of his
collection, all the way until his death. The sale of this
boomerang will benefit one or more charities that provide
relief to the victims of the 2004 Tsunami Disaster in
South-East Asia. The price will be slowly reduced every week
until it is sold.