Objects Database

Ace of Hearts Pitons by Cassin

Accession Number

1685.2022.1

Object Name

Ace of Hearts Pitons by Cassin

Created

28/09/2022

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

28/09/2022

Brief Description

Three Cassin Ace of Hearts pitons.P shaped leaf pitons

Materials

Mild Steel

Dimensions

11.5(L) x 4(W) cms

Number Of Objects

3

Inscription Description

"ITALY CASSIN "on two. "ITALY R.CASSIN" on one

Colour

silver

Maker

Cassin

Object Production Place

Italy

Provenance

Italian mountaineer, Ricardo Cassin, was born in 1909 and soon became one of the leading alpinistes of the 20th Century, with a glittering array of first ascents in the Alpine regions of Europe and the Himalayas.
He fought with the Partisans against the Germans in World War Two and was decorated as a result.
Cassin began designing and producing mountaineering equipment in 1947 and first off the ‘press’ were the Cassin Pitons, three examples of which we have here in the collection.
Most early pitons, like these, were made from fairly soft steel, the idea being that the piton would follow/ conform to the line of the crack as it was being driven in and so make a good anchor.
Different shapes and sizes of pitons have acquired different names over the years, and whilst the ones we have here are technically called leaf pitons, Ace of Hearts is their rather more affectionate term.
The Cassin trademark passed to another Italian company, Camp, in 1997.
Ricardo lived to be 100 and died in 2009.

Acquisition Date

28/09/2022

Condition Check Date

28/09/2022

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

28/09/2022

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