Collector's piece found in attic expected to fetch around �20,000 at auction in Dorset
A boomerang that may have been collected by Captain Cook when he reached Australia in 1770 is expected to fetch around �20,000 at auction in the UK.
The 76cm (30ins) long wooden artefact is being sold in Dorset but could return to Australia, where it holds great interest.
It is believed the boomerang was owned by James Cook's widow, Elizabeth, and was then passed down through the family of the executor of his will.
The weapon, along with two wooden clubs, was eventually found in an attic. Guy Schwinge, of Duke's auctioneers in Dorchester, said there was huge interest in the boomerang.
He said: "It's a privilege to deal with an iconic object associated with one of the great figures in English history, which probably represents one of the first aboriginal artefacts to reach these shores. The boomerang was previously consigned to auction in 2008 but was withdrawn at the last moment because of a legal technicality."
Schwinge said the boomerang was part of a collection owned by a descendant of the executor of Elizabeth's will, John Leach Bennett.
Other items sold by the family are in museums in the UK and Australia. The boomerang has been appearing in an exhibition on Cook's explorations of the Pacific that has been touring European cities.
Schwinge said he believed "beyond reasonable doubt" that the object is a relic of Cook's expedition.
Duke's has a reputation for finding and selling unusual items. The most spectacular may have been missing pieces of an altarpiece by the Renaissance master Fra Angelico. They were found in a pensioner's spare room in Oxford and fetched �1.7m in 2007.
The auction takes place on 29 September.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/12/captain-cook-boomerang-return-australia
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