On the Camp website it shows that Riccardo Cassin, who was already a well know accomplished mountaineer, after world war 2 went to Premana Italy and helped Antonia Codega’s four sons develop and nurture the continued production of mountaineering equipment. CAMP must have wanted to use the Cassin name so they branded it and it became its own company within CAMP. Riccardo eventually created crampons, hammers, pitons and eventually nuts. A great famous statement from Riccardo Cassin is: “If you want to go to the mountains”, he said one day, “you’ll need passion, a very big passion, because that’s where fatigue and sacrifice lie. Reaching the summit also brings, however, an incredible satisfaction...
I am not sure what year Cassin first started producing pitons but my guess would be in the early 1950s. Collecting Cassin pitons has brought me to asking many questions since there are so many company mark variations that I have found over the years. So I made a list of the differences still not knowing how many actual sets were made. Cassin to this day is still producing a wide range of climbing and mountaineering gear, including pitons. I am still searching for what year the Cassin company logo was first produced. |
Set #12: CASSIN and ITALY in recessed channel. Piton eye for carabiner is oval shape. (CASSIN word is upside down). Not sure if the manufacturer intended for the Cassin word to be in one direction or another. In the 1983 Cassin catalog both manufacturers marks being rightside up and upside down is shown. Maybe this is a transition year that the change was being made?
|
Cassin 2" bong from the 1980s (laying down).
Cassin 2" bong from 2010 (standing on edge). Another ID mark added to the pitons (01-1G). Cassin ring piton with revolving ring made in the 1990s galvanized light gold finish. Cassin Channel piton "Forma U" piton colored gold (Brunal) nickel-chrome molibdeno for granite made in the early 1980s. Cassin 1" Angle made in the 1990s. |
Cassin 1983 catalog. Wow besides the awesome catalog cover picture, Cassin sure made a lot of different pitons in the 1980s.
The pitons were offered in silver, Carbonium steel for limestone (softer). Brunal colored which is Nikel-crome molibdeno for granite (harder). A "S" ID stamp was added to the pitons. Also offered in titanium where a "T" ID stamp was added. |