We’re not too sure about either of these items though the karabiner is certainly very old and very nice – possibly dating from WWII. Most early karabiners were manufactured by the known companies such as; Salewa, Stubai, Bonatti etc. and the lack of such a well known brand name often implies a small engineering firm who were contracted by the M.O.D. to make a ‘one off’ batch. The initials ‘A’ ‘IX’ ‘L’ are the clue, though we don’t know the answer. the wee abseil/belay device is also a curio. it’s very similar to a thing called a ‘Baechli’ but we can’t see any markings and it could also be home made. We are not sure who donated either of these, but whoever it was has certainly got us thinking!