Rusty Harding is one of America's best known boomerang manufacturers. I first met Rusty in 1979 when both of us were living in Florida. Rusty was a lefty thrower who was making sporting and competition boomerang models at his home in Vero Beach, Florida. In the 1980s and 1990s, Rusty moved to Lebanon, Tennessee where he continued to make boomerangs for the retail market. Rusty still makes a few boomerangs, but his old classics are becoming valuable collectables. The boomerangs that have the highest collectable value are the Concept models that were made out of lapped hardwood boards and had angles of 60, 70 or 90 degrees. These were often weighted. Rusty's Hurricane Hook and Contender [omega] designs are the most popular sporting models.

This omega boomerang is the Napoleans Hat, one of Rusty's most popular models and an excellent sports boomerang with a range of about 30 metres and an accurate return. It was made in 1999. This boomerang is in excellent condition, but there is a small natural blemish in the plywood on the outer rim of the elbow. It is still plenty strong enough to throw. I gave several test throws and found it to be a very good flyer with a circular flight of 25 metres. It is signed and dated on the underside of the elbow.