We are fairly sure that these ice pitons are ex US Army which fits nicely with the fact that Mick Tighe bought them just over the border in Calgary, Canada for a few dollars, in a government surplus store. The simple design dates them to around 1950 before the ice screw had been invented. With these ones you just hammered them in and hacked them out! Bookdealers, Chessler Books, were selling these pitons for $US 8.95 each in 2010, as collectors items.