Objects Database

Bedayn Karabiners

Accession Number

1230.2015.1

Object Name

Bedayn Karabiners

Created

21/04/2015

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

21/04/2015

Brief Description

Two Bedayn snaplink karabiners

Materials

aluminium alloy

Dimensions

10(l) x5(w) cms

Number Of Objects

2

Inscription Description

"BEDAYN CALIFORNIA" on both

Colour

silver

Maker

Bedayn

Object Production Place

USA

Provenance

Raffi Bedayn (1915-1982) is a bit of a cult figure in American climbing circles and his karabiners are very much a collector's item.
Raffi was born in California, the son of an Armenian family, who narrowly escaped the Turkish genocide of their people in 1915 by emigrating to America a couple of years earlier. Raffi went on to a glittering career in the mountains, not least of which was the training of the American 10th Mountain Division which saw distinguished service in the Italian Campaign in 1944/45. Having been trainer, Raffi then joined the 10th, returning as Captain Bedayn, with a bronze star.
He designed, and subsequently produced his karabiners in the late 1940's and they seem to have been pretty much the world's first to be made from an aluminium alloy.
Just about everybody was using them in the 1950's including the successful British Everest Expedition of 1953.
With all that in mind we were delighted to receive two 'Bedayns' from our old pal, Art McCarthy, out in California in 2014. We have a bit of a 'swap shop' deal going with Art so we will now have to find something very Scottish to close the deal.

Acquisition Method

Donated by Art McCarthy

Acquisition Date

21/04/2015

Condition Check Date

21/04/2015

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

21/04/2015

Go Back