American bookdealers, Chessler Books, found a novel way of making money by getting famous climbers/mountaineers to sign various artifacts and selling them on. Tom Frost, who signed this hammer, was a pioneer American climber in the 1960’s and 70’s, with notable first ascents such as Salathe Wall and North American Wall in Yosemite. Our good friend, John McCall, bought this one and donated it to the collection. As for the hammer itself, Yvonne Chouinard tells us all about it in his 1978 Great Pacific Iron Works Catalogue. “Chouinard Yosemite Hammer The Yosemite Hammer is designed strictly for driving and removing pitons. The hammer weight of 28 oz. is concentrated in the 18 oz. head. The drop-forged alloy steel head has a specially designed blunt pick for use in removing pitons. The blow can be precisely directed to the neck area of the piton and the carabiner and sling may be left clipped in if desired to prevent accidental dropping. This method speedsremoval timeand prolongs piton life. The handle, head, and sling arrangements have been put together with the same close attention to strength and dependability as all our hammers. Weight: 1 Ib. 12 oz. Price: $18.00”