Item TB86
This Item was Sold for
$159
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 suppliers 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 until
Herb's untimely death in 1995. Herb's models have become
among the finest of collectable boomerangs as the supply
continues to diminish. This beautiful little sports boomerang is decorated with
an Oak tree branch and typical Herb Smith art on both of the
blades and the elbow. This one iss a real beauty. The
artwork is not only drawn on the surface, but the design is
also incised into the surface. Made out of 3 mm Birch
plywood in January 1993 and protected with glossy
polyurethane finish. It was given to Brother Brian Thomas
during Herb's visit to Australia. I was able to test throw
this little gem before listing it and it is an excellent
flyer with an accurate circular flight of about 30 metres.
The outside elbow has a couple of tiny compression marks
from use, but you have to look hard to see them.