Old vintage things from the USSR. Antiques from the USSR

Retro (also retro style; retro style from the Latin Retro “back”, “turned to the past”, “retrospective”) is a rather abstract art-historical term used to describe various categories of antique things that have a certain cultural and/or material value, and, as a rule, rarely encountered in modern everyday life with its deliberate practicality and the desire to get rid of “extra” details.

Let's take a step back in time and remember some really wonderful things! In this antique 1941 section you can recall things from the USSR that we used and that surrounded us.

In the post-war period in the USSR there was an interesting, rich life with simple toys, similar to communist attributes. People, for the most part with selfless faith in the happy bright future of developed socialism, rejoiced even in little things... Now the antique 1941 USSR goods presented in our catalog often evoke a smile, nostalgia and good memories.

Buy things from the USSR

On our website Antik1941 you can buy real Soviet vintage items with a quality mark.

Various retro and vintage goods are widely represented: ashtrays and cigarette cases, abacus and calculators, cameras and measuring instruments, cabinet busts and clocks, antique piggy banks and boxes, and many other household items: boxes, hangers, corkscrews, locks, coasters, cutlery, children's Christmas tree toys.

Original souvenirs of the 80 Olympics

Especially worth noting are the souvenirs of the 1980 Olympics, such as porcelain figurines with an Olympic bear. After all, if you think about it, more than a decade has passed since then! Products from the past are like instant travel back in time. They bear signs of another era, recall long-past events, revive forgotten experiences and special feelings. For many, Soviet times are a carefree childhood, hot youth, exciting youth.
Most of the lots presented are items in excellent condition, a considerable number of which are real rarities.

Soviet porcelain is a great love not only for real collectors, but also for lovers of the VINTAGE style, people who understand exclusive, truly high-quality and rare things. Connoisseurs of antiquity especially appreciate porcelain, made in the USSR by the hands of famous craftsmen. Soviet porcelain They are collected not only in Russia and the CIS countries, but throughout the world. Things, household and interior items made in Soviet times are of interest to many people today as historical objects. After all, antiques reflect the history of the country and a bygone era...

Stories about the Soviet Union still excite people's minds. Moreover, both those who happened to live in a huge country, and those who were born after its collapse.

Most things from the USSR seem quite normal and understandable to modern people. But there are objects whose purpose raises questions.

And today we will look at 40 amazing things that our parents and grandparents used. Or maybe you used these things too. In any case, it will be interesting to plunge into an era that is irretrievably gone.

1. The Rosinka juicer is superior in power and longevity to its Western counterparts.

2. Hair machine. Only for harsh Soviet people.

3. Puzzles. Long before the popular computer game Zuma.

4. "Jumping frog." One of the iconic toys of the Soviet era.

5. If it weren’t for the visible connector, this thing could have been mistaken for, say, a prehistoric hair dryer. But it's still a microphone.

6. Toy lunar rover.

7. Vacuum cleaner “Rocket”. A great helper for cleaning your home. Such copies of different colors still work. You can buy a perfectly working copy.

8. Soviet stereoscope, adored not only by children, but also by adults.

9. A device for burning patterns or inscriptions on a wooden surface. Every little boy's dream.

10. Souvenir knife “Fish” for an avid fisherman.

11. “Nine” on radio control. It was later that foreign cars powered by batteries came to replace the toy VAZ.

12. Portable video game with interchangeable screens. Not just Tetris...

13. Clothes hangers. Additional feature: built-in cleaning brushes.

14. Radio station “Rhythm-304”, which was happily placed in every home.

15. Another lunar rover. At that time they loved to look at the sky. And dream.

16. The Sportloto lottery was very popular. Even children played it, although not for real.

17. A metal musical instrument called a metallophone.

18. Pocket Las Vegas or casino for the whole family.

19. A novice electrician’s device is a voltmeter.

20. Sharpening blades using this machine was common.

21. Hand drill. It took a lot of work to make a couple of holes even in a wooden surface.

22. Where was the Soviet bread stored? That's right, in bread bins. These are such wonderful boxes.

23. Flashlight “Chernivtsi” from a local electronics and household appliances plant.

24. Manual mixer. To prepare a cake for the whole family, the Soviet housewife spent a lot of effort on cooking.

25. Vacuum cleaner “Uralets”. Very powerful and noisy. Such devices still work today.

26. Cookie cutters. Almost eternal.

27. The Vesna tape recorders came with such a wonderful microphone.

28. Soviet drivers took exams at the traffic police on such devices called “Vyatka-5”.

29. Fitness classes with the Zarya pedometer.

30. Electronic radio designer.

31. A garden knife, which was also called a pirate knife. A serious weapon for a tough boy.

32. Artificial fly. An indispensable tool for harmless jokes.

33. An ordinary wallet, from which, say, grandchildren were given a few kopecks for ice cream.

34. Toy robot for primary school children. Clockwork.

35. Videos of our grandparents.

36. The most powerful home vacuum cleaner “Vykhr”.

37. The Tumbler toy, which fosters perseverance in Soviet children.

38. Almost eternal flashlight “Bug”. Just have time to change the light bulbs. It was charged with the handle of a dynamo.

39. Device for baking sweet waffles. By the way, we have previously written about, which are still found in our kitchens today.

40. Moskvich on pedals. Personal transport from an early age.

These wonderful things were very popular during the USSR. Now they seem strange and incomprehensible. But ordinary Soviet people worked hard to save up money for the same Vykhr vacuum cleaner or Vesna tape recorder. And such purchases were a real holiday for the whole family.

Now the abundance of things on display is enormous, but the objects from them evoke incomparable awe. After all, they take you back decades ago, to a time when the world was completely different.

What thing surprised you? Share in the comments.

The USSR is, of course, not Ancient Rome or Egypt, but many things produced in that era deserve our attention and genuine admiration. And we won’t even talk about the legendary Tu-144 or the world’s first lunar rover, developed in the Soviet Union. Let's talk about simpler, everyday things. No doubt many of you still remember them.

ZAZ 965 or simply “Humpbacked”
The first batch of Soviet Cossacks was released in 1960. The car immediately became a people's favorite. In addition, he became a real “movie star” and appeared in such films as “Queen of the Gas Station” and “Three Plus Two.”

Mechanical wristwatch Rocket 3031
In general, the production of wristwatches was the pride of the country. The best models were exported for sale and also given as gifts to important people on business trips abroad. Rocket 3031 was the most complex mechanical wristwatch model in the USSR. Dual calendar function, self-winding and alarm clock - at that time such “stuffing” was a real rarity.

Condensed milk
The design of a can of condensed milk set the trend for many years to come. Many modern manufacturers still copy the legendary packaging.

Coffee
Soviet coffee was produced in high-quality tin cans. Today's giants, like Neskafe or Jacobs, never dreamed of such luxury.

Chocolate
The legendary “Alenka”, “The Seagull”, “Pushkin’s Fairy Tales” - nostalgia definitely has its own taste...

Christmas toys
Despite the fact that today there is a huge selection of Christmas tree decorations, many still prefer the good old Soviet toys. They are incomparable!

Faceted glass
It is not known for certain who actually came up with the design of the iconic glass. Many believe that this is the merit of the Soviet architect Vera Mukhina. The faceted glass is so strong that you can literally crack nuts with it. Have you tried it?

Children's toys
Children's toys, no match for today's ones, were practically indestructible. They were successfully passed down in families from generation to generation.

"Volga" GAZ-21
The birth of the legendary Volga GAZ-21 occurred in 1956. Having experienced overseas influence, the Volga is still the original version of the Soviet automobile industry. By the way, it was she who introduced Soviet citizens to the automatic transmission. Although such an innovation did not take root in the Union at that time.

Washing machine EAYA
EAYA is more reminiscent of an alien from science fiction films than modern models of washing machines. It appeared in the distant 50s of the last century. Surprisingly, with a total cost of 1,600 rubles, it was sold to citizens for only 600. How was this possible?

String bag
A truly iconic thing in the Soviet Union.

Electronic game “Well, wait a minute!”
The most important gaming gadget of Soviet teenagers in the 80s. There's no arguing with that.

Camera “Zenit-E”
The legendary Zenit-E camera began to be produced in 1965. Over twenty years of production, the total production of models amounted to 8 million units. This is an absolute world record among analogue SLR cameras.

TV “Yunost-406 D”
The iconic portable TV “Yunost-406 D” was the property of almost every Soviet family. He weighed only 9 kg, so he could easily be taken with him to the dacha or to the recreation center.

Soviet service
The notorious “fish” filled the cupboards of all Soviet citizens. Admit it, your parents also had such a set.

Baby strollers
Baby strollers, like everything else in the Secular Union, were made to last. They were not afraid of either wind, rain or snow.

Kefir packaging
Nowadays kefir is sold in plastic and cardboard; in the USSR, the product was bottled only in glass containers.

Soviet enamel
Soviet enamel cookware was in no way inferior in quality to its Western European counterparts, but the difference in price was striking. It’s no wonder that many tourists from Czechoslovakia and Poland stocked up on dishes in the USSR.

Vacuum cleaner “Chaika”
In the Soviet Union, this vacuum cleaner quickly won the love of the masses (even though it was practically a copy of the Dutch Remoco SZ49 vacuum cleaner), as it was reliable and easy to use. Some even managed to use it as a hair dryer.

Carpets
The carpet was practically a member of the family. He warmed the wall to the citizens of the USSR for decades. The best carpets were brought from Turkmenistan and Armenia.

Well, what else can you say? Nostalgia, as it is, in its purest form. When you look at individual “exhibits,” you begin to feel a pang in your chest. We indulge in memories of the glorious 80s, shed tears of joy, and comment. So, dear comrades, welcome to the virtual museum of the USSR! :)

Anniversary ruble. As far as I remember, they tried not to waste them - they kept them as exhibits, in boxes :)

Banknotes of 1, 3, 25 and 50 rubles, model 1961. Well, all sorts of pennies :)

100 ruble banknote of the 1991 model.

After the collapse of the Union and the next reform, solid Soviet banknotes turned into such funny and almost worthless “candy wrappers”.

Amazing thing! No plastic or paper bags can replace the usual Soviet string bag. I have never seen anything more spacious in my life.

A true classic! Soda without syrup - 1 kopeck, with syrup - 3. Few people cared about the hygienic side of the issue, so everyone who was not too lazy used one faceted glass. And few people thought of stealing it :)

How delicious it was!

I had the exact same set when I was a kid! The paper really felt like velvet to the touch, very pleasant. The item, it seems, was quite scarce - so I spent it very carefully.

And I had an atlas exactly like this!

Siphon cans were also an extremely scarce item in my time. That's why mom always bought several packages.

Well, here is, in fact, the siphon itself. The soda turned out to be very tasty, probably because it was prepared practically with my own hands :)

Panacea for all diseases! In those years, the Vietnamese “Zvezdochka” was used to treat everything from a runny nose to fractures. And the magazine “Science and Life” published an entire article with drawings showing which points on the body the balm should be rubbed into in order to heal.

Personally, these batteries powered my first radio-controlled car, lunar rover and, when I got older, my first cassette recorder :)

In all cinemas in the country, tickets were of the same type. And even in my years there was such fun - the game of “tickets”. The difference between the numbers in the serial number of the ticket was counted in clicks in favor of the larger one :)

"Sportloto" is the main lottery in the country. There were specialists who built entire systems in which the chances of winning the main cash prize increased significantly.

Well, and a couple more lottery tickets from those years.

The main "scam" of the early 90s. I think there is no need to talk about how it all ended...

Another sad example of how a naive population followed the lead of a slack state. The word “privatization” still evokes only negative emotions for many. Just like the surname "Chubais".

There was actually a book “hidden” in the keychain. I don’t remember its exact contents, but it’s almost certainly something sublimely patriotic :)

"Primer". So, from the very first grade, the bright ideas of communism were instilled in the children.

I remember that there was definitely such crap in our house. But its practical meaning remains a mystery to me :)

Well, this is a golden classic. Such bottles were literally worth their weight in gold, so they were used many times. The main and most convenient container for milk and kefir in the USSR.

And here comes the milk. The same thing, in triangular paper bags...

And concentrated, in a jar. For some reason this is what they added to tea.

Another frequent guest of Soviet refrigerators is Druzhba processed cheese. The best snack for vodka :)

I am sure that this is exactly the kind of - cottony, soft - Santa Claus who stood under every home Christmas tree. And for some, especially thrifty ones, this figurine has probably survived to this day.

Everyone went to the market with these “control” scales. The percentage of weight gain in those years was minimal.

Legendary video recorder "Electronics VM-12". It cost like a spaceship, but the picture quality left much to be desired. But if you had it, it meant that everything was fine with you. And even better.

Who among those born in the 80s did not collect inserts? After paper rubles, these candy wrappers were almost the second currency in every school. We “sulked” with these inserts both before and after, and even instead of lessons. The entertainment was incredibly exciting, unlike modern computer games.

Such pennants hung in any “Red Corner”. And for some even on the wall carpet.

A single headdress for 90% of all Soviet girls. Leveling, damn it :)

Flexible plate. Absolutely cosmic thing. Personally, I couldn’t wrap my head around how music could fit on this thing. And the way these records

recorded It was completely beyond consciousness!

And here, by the way, is the Krugozor magazine, which was published along with exactly these records, in the form of tabs between the pages.

And here is the portable player "Yunost" - then, it seems, there were no others...

A gramophone record with the musical fairy tale "The Town Musicians of Bremen". It was worn down to a completely unworkable state, I really loved it :)

These simple puzzles, in various modifications, were found in almost every Soviet home. The “Triangle” infuriated me, but the “Cylinder”, on the contrary, made me happy - it was easier to assemble :)

Ready room. There was no point in going to school with such a bandura - out of the entire set, only a couple of items were useful in class. But still - a very beautiful thing! Here the case is upholstered in green velvet - it was not considered very good. Red velvet - that was cool! :)

Faceted mugs. Thanks to the light hand of sculptor Vera Mukhina, they ended up in every Soviet kitchen.

Graphite pencils. In those years, my grandfather worked as a graphic designer - his whole house was littered with such pencils.

What kind of home theaters? What are you talking about? Slide projector! The coolest entertainment! The smell of burnt film, a dark room, a tiny square of light on the wall and filmstrips!

And here they are, by the way. As a rule, boxes with names rarely corresponded to the contents :)

Voice recorder "Topaz D-202". There has never been such a thing in our family, because it was unnecessary. I took it here to complete the collection :)

By the way, you could attach a microphone like this to the recorder...

Or these headphones :)

Soviet perfumery. Perfume "Red Moscow".

Cologne "Olympic"

Well, the classics, of course. "Triple". A universal thing. Some, they say, also drank it :)

Hole puncher. This office device has survived to this day.

Lust. The limit of dreams. It seemed that there was nothing better in this life! The taste lasted only a few minutes, but they continued to chew until they felt nauseous :)

The best and favorite magazine!

“Kolobok” is really for little ones. And instead of “Model Designer”, my mother subscribed to me the magazine “Young Technician”.

Bookmark. They were all like that - paper and very quickly worn out.

Green peas of the Hungarian brand "Globus". I don’t remember the taste of peas at all, but among all the products of this brand I can especially highlight the assorted vegetables. It was sold in large three-liter jars and was sooooo delicious!

In 1985, the XII International Festival of Youth and Students was held in Moscow. A lot of souvenir products dedicated to this event were produced that year.

The same can be said about the famous Olympics-80.

On the left is the October icon, on the right is the pioneer. I managed to wear both on the lapel of my school jacket. The first icon is a little longer, the second is a little smaller :)

Continuing the theme of the school uniform - the "Schoolboy" chevron. Sewn onto the left (or right?) sleeve of a uniform jacket. Well, I immediately painted with a ballpoint pen :)

Tooth powder "Special". He lived in every Soviet bathroom and, due to the acute shortage of toothpaste, was in constant demand. It tasted...like it was softer..."Special", in general :)

It's not even a classic. This is Cult with a capital "C". Someone said that after gaining 1000 points, a cartoon appears on the screen. Watery eyes, calloused fingers, 998, 999, 1000 points!...And all over again. The first thought is to find and kill the person who told about the “cartoon” :)

And these are analogues. But...it's not the same anymore. “Well, wait a minute” - this is forever! :)

The game "Behind the Wheel" is another ultimate dream for any Soviet boy. I got this toy when I was 8 years old. It was a terribly scarce thing, for which I had to stand in a huge line at the Children's World. By the way, I had a very advanced model of this game - with pedals! :)

"Labyrinth". Another classic toy. I learned the layout of each level pretty quickly and it immediately became uninteresting.

"Tag". No comments:)

Magnetic "Checkers". I knew how to play them, but for some reason I didn’t like them.

But “Erudite” is a completely different matter! I remember playing with my mother...

Another classic is the 15-kopeck “Battleship” machine gun. In general, there were a lot of them, but this one was my favorite :) I remember that at one time these machines stood in the foyer of the Palace of Culture. Kulakovsky (then the Palace of Culture and Technology)

By the way, here is another exhibit from this series.

I have never had a more interesting and exciting toy. No computers can be compared! I was lucky, my railway was very long and the main line was laid through almost all the rooms :)

Toy boat from the Riga toy factory "Straume". I was born in Riga, so, of course, I supported the local manufacturer as best I could :)

Toy "Starfish". The practical meaning is unclear. But for a collection it will do just fine :)

Transformer. I first saw such a toy when I was 10 years old. I turned it over in my hands, turned the robot into a car and back again - and immediately lost all interest in it. It's strange, but I still don't understand the hype around these toys.

Calendar-picture. I saw something similar when my mother and I came for some regular guests. Some kind of unaesthetic gadget :)

Calculator "Electronics B3-36". I remember he was very sophisticated, he could even calculate some complex trigonometric functions.

Stationery sets. I definitely had "Kimek". Although I never really knew how to draw :)

Pocket Tetris. I remember that our entire “Chinese market” was filled with such toys.

Kerosene lamp. Our house never had one like this, but my grandmother definitely had one. True, when the lights were turned off, she still used ordinary household candles. Apparently there were problems with kerosene :)

Cinema camera "Kyiv-16". For me, one of the most mysterious gadgets of those years. I still can’t imagine where you could buy film in those years? And what did they do with it after it was filmed? And what could you spin it on later? In general, some questions... :)

And here is another toy - a tabletop push-button "Basketball". I remember when I was still little, this game caused me great delight :)

Cockade. I don’t know which military branches it was on. But in my collection of badges there was definitely one like this.

Compass. Another device that was incomprehensible to me in those years. How it was possible to get out of the dense forest with its help was a big mystery to me :)

"Mikrosha", one of the first Soviet personal computers for household use. An absolutely killer machine, you could even program it in Assembly and Pascal.

In the 80s, email was not only unheard of, but not even thought of. At least in our country. Ordinary paper letters were sealed in ordinary envelopes like this, dropped into mailboxes hanging here and there, and waited for a response for weeks :)

A piggy bank for pennies is an extremely convenient thing.

Also a kind of “piggy bank”, only in the female version :)

How can instant coffee be natural? Nobody thought about this. There was simply nothing else...

Although, especially gifted coffee connoisseurs managed to buy it in beans and grind it by hand using such crap machines. Or, whoever had it, on electric ones :)

Aftershave cream "Start".

Paper doll and paper clothes for her. Usually these were published in the magazines “Rabotnitsa” and “Peasant Woman”.

Blades for safety razors "Baltika". These are the kind of blades that young Nikita used to erase the “twos” that the teacher, although occasionally, still wrote in her diary with a pen :)

Returning to school equipment. Math ruler. Its practical functionality is still unclear to me :)

"Lunokhod". A cult toy, the first in the USSR with touch (!) control buttons.

Ski bindings. Yes, in those years they had to be purchased separately and screwed to the skis themselves with screws.

Reel-to-reel tape recorder "Electronics" TA01-003. I remember how I was always fascinated by the process of loading film into such a tape recorder. And the sound quality was, of course, much better than a regular cassette recorder.

By the way, here it is - "Electronics 302", the most popular cassette recorder in those years.

And here is the cassette, "MK60-2". The quality of the film left much to be desired, but there was nothing else (affordable) at that time. Without fish, as they say... :)

Toy "Piano". A magical thing for children from 2 years old :)

Probably every boy had such a model of an armored personnel carrier. I definitely had it. In general, by the age of 12-13 I had a pretty decent collection of models...

And there was even such a completely wild model of “Zaporozhets” :)

Very cool set of "Art" pencils. I remember there were a lot of flowers there.

Tin soldiers. A classic that needs no comment.

Children's radio designer. Unfortunately, I didn’t have this. It must be terribly interesting stuff.

Sticker with Mickey Mouse.

Mysterious board game :)

But here everything is extremely clear. "Monopoly", and this is exactly what the very first one looked like. I played it when I was 10 years old. I remember that at first I didn’t understand anything, but it was terribly interesting! :)

Tumbler. Classic.

Well, and so as not to get up twice - a rubber ball. I really enjoyed throwing it at the wall and listening to the sound it made. I liked it, but my neighbors didn't :)

Sheet music for playing the metallophone. I remember that I had the metallophone itself, but there were no notes for it. Improvised :)

At first I thought it was a bottle opener. But then knowledgeable people suggested that this is what a pencil sharpener looked like. Strange, I thought...

I thought she looked something like this :)

Sickle-hammer. According to rumors, in the future it will be replaced with plastic cards.

Blank cartridges. I had exactly these, with a red tip.

At my age, only children of rich parents could afford to come to school with such a pencil case...

And with this - everyone else :)

"Pepsi-Cola" Novorossiysk bottling. What is now being sold under the guise of Pepsi-Cola cannot be compared. Soviet Pepsi was, is and will be the most delicious!

Typewriter. Precisely printing, not writing. The roar that it made during operation clearly informed everyone that this machine was exactly

prints, not

writes. Absolutely creepy and inhumane colossus.

Cap. Then the meaning of this word was completely clear and definite. And pis

A moose as expected.

Pioneer Horn. A very strange musical instrument. I remember once asking our school bugler to teach me how to play. The lesson ended in a crushing fiasco.

Schoolchildren went to May Day demonstrations with exactly these flags.

Plastic fishing rod of the "throwback" type. An extremely convenient and effective thing. At least I always fell for it :)

I had exactly this - plasticine "Young Sculptor". One of my favorite pastimes. I remember how, from three or four packages of such plasticine, my friend and I sculpted an entire army of little men and staged a real plasticine “war.”

Plastic frog. He swam well both in the bath and in the puddle.

Plastic soldier. He swam much worse than the frog, but he burned much better :)

Certificate of honor. I boast - I had one of these, for my active participation in the life of the school.

Who said that there was no sex in the USSR? He was. Only in the dark, with drawn curtains, tightly closed doors, strictly under the covers and in general - so that no one would guess. But even then everyone was warned: “AIDS does not sleep!”

By the way, there was even an assortment of condoms on the market :)

Primus. A relic of the war and post-war years.

Game console "Dendy type". Entertainment No. 1 in the early 90s for all Soviet children.

But not everyone had such a prefix. Firstly, it was much more difficult to get, and it was more expensive. This is not surprising - there were far more games there than on the Dandy cartridges, although the graphics were noticeably weaker.

Every member of any trade union had such a ticket. Trade unions have survived to this day. Are the tickets still available? Interesting...

Vacuum cleaner "Buran". It was distinguished by superhuman suction power and the same level of noise produced.

Radio receiver "Almaz". As a person associated with radio broadcasting, I cannot pass by this exhibit without trepidation.

Rollers. Yes, in the USSR they looked like this. I never learned to ride them.

Green toy dump truck. On advanced models of these toys, the cabin doors even opened.

Sugar that came in airplane meals. Well, on the trains they also gave out their own, “railroad” one.

Passbook. Another thing that has survived to this day. Which, however, is not surprising.

Stopwatch of the Zlatoust watch factory.

Cigarette holder "Music box". In fact, anything was stored in it, just not cigarettes :)

The first Soviet laptop - "Electronics 901" :)

An extremely dubious thing from a chemical point of view, but nevertheless a terribly popular thing is instant juice "Yupi". I remember it was very tasty for them to wash down the tasteless vodka :)

This is an analogue - "Zuko". The same eggs, only in profile :)

Well, this is already for aesthetes. Such instant “Fanta” cost a lot, but this is understandable - it was still delicious!

Stereoscope. A mysterious device for viewing stereo images.

Such figurines and souvenirs almost certainly decorated your furniture “wall” in the living room. By the way, the eagle was made of phosphorus and mysteriously glowed in the dark :)

Souvenir wooden mug. Usually it was hung or placed in some prominent place in the kitchen.

There were no calculators then, so there were abacuses like this at every store counter. By the way, you can still find them in some stores in Yakutsk. Truly an eternal thing. By the way, I always wondered why there are only 4 dominoes on one of the lines? :)

During the wild times of Gorbachev’s reign, the whole country used food stamps like these.

I’m not entirely sure, but it’s very similar to a teletype - a printing machine for transmitting text messages between two remote subscribers.

Tennis balls "Leningrad". They look a lot like baseball ones :)

Well, this is a good old ping pong ball. When burned, it emits a rare, nasty smell. The main fun was to crumble the ball, pour the pieces into a tin can and set it on fire. Well, then, whatever you want: you can go to the school toilet, or you can go to a regular entrance... :)

Analog multifunctional thermometer. In addition to temperature, he was able to show air humidity and atmospheric pressure. Monumental thing :)

Paper protractor. It fell into disrepair very quickly.

Mascara for eyebrows and eyelashes. I didn’t use it, but I’m sure that many young ladies (or their mothers) had one in those years.

Alcohol vinegar. Our family didn’t like vinegar, so there’s not much to say here.

Electric iron. Directly on the body, shirts and pants got rid of wrinkles faster than using such an iron. But there were no others then.

Hairdryer Hairdryer - and nothing more :)

An absolutely amazing thing - a flashlight that worked without batteries, solely on man-made energy :)

But I used duct tape to attach exactly this kind of flashlight to the handlebar stem of my bicycle and ride around the dark Yakut courtyards. It was scary, but interesting. It's always interesting with a flashlight :)

Souvenir corkscrew "Cannon". Although Gorbachev struggled with alcohol in those years, nevertheless, there was always something to discover :)

Spy movie camera. If a regular movie camera raises a lot of questions for me, then what can we say about a veneered one? :) But the fact itself is important - it looks like an ordinary bag, but what’s inside is it! :)

Sewing box. Almost certainly your mothers and grandmothers have exactly the same one. Spools of thread, needles, countless buttons and other sewing accessories... How all this could fit into such a small box is unclear :)

Czechoslovakian shoes brand "Cebo". It was mainly worn by my mother. And I didn’t pay any attention to her shoes at all :)

Stationery ink. I remember that at our school some people used such ink to fill bad grades in their diaries.

Alarm clock "Yantar". The most hated subject for all Soviet schoolchildren. Especially those who studied in the first shift :)

Well, a few more watches from that era.

With exactly this can, I regularly went to the store, near the porch of which in the summer there was always a “cow” - a large yellow barrel from which bottled milk was sold. How delicious it was!

And such photographs and posters hung in the room of every Soviet youth. In those years, so-called “video salons” came into fashion. For us, it was a very ordinary garage, in which there were two dozen chairs in rows, and a video doublet was mounted under the ceiling - a VCR and a TV with a 50 cm diagonal screen. The sound and picture were terrible, but our video salon was never empty. It was there that I first met Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris and, of course, Sylvester Stallone.

Electric razor. Only once, when I was very young, did I show interest in this device. One day I took my father's razor, turned it on and applied it to my face. The razor immediately pulled a little fluff out of my cheek. It was very painful. Now I use machines exclusively and still consider electric shavers to be a dangerous and completely stupid invention.

There are still many people who remember life during the Soviet era. From those times, many habits and things have remained that subsequent generations simply will not be able to understand, because for this they had to live in completely different conditions. Do you recognize them or will these things be a discovery for you?

1. Yeast Kombucha

At some point, jars and bottles of tea and milk mushrooms became firmly established in Soviet kitchens.
At first, the housewives tried by hook or by crook to get the treasured piece, and then, as the pet grew, they began to look for places to house the multiplied miracle.
This invention was not new, kombucha was known back in Ancient China, but in the USSR the drink obtained from it was simply credited with miraculous properties. True, doctors have never been able to find these healing properties...

2. Carpets on the walls

In the USSR, it was practically impossible to find a house that did not have at least one carpet hanging on the wall.
Traditionally, this interior detail was supposed to be located on the floor, but in Soviet houses the carpet took root firmly on the walls.
It is difficult to say where this tradition came from, but there was also a benefit from it - and the sound and heat insulation in the apartments was not at the highest level at that time. So carpets somewhat solved this issue.

3. Siphon for sparkling water

These soda siphons were very popular throughout Europe even before World War II.
Over time, the device moved to the Soviet Union, allowing you to make soda right at home.
The especially talented ones even managed to add gas to vodka. The siphon received this application during the fight against drunkenness at the dawn of perestroika.

4. Mittens with a string or elastic band

Any thing in the USSR was highly valued, because most goods could not simply be bought, they had to be obtained.
So even children had no right to lose good woolen mittens. So this simple design took root - the mittens were connected with an elastic band and then threaded through the sleeves along the back of the outerwear.

5. Queue number

The line for shortages was endless. To get to the treasured goods, you had to stand in the same line for days, resolve conflicts like “you weren’t standing here,” etc.
Here they came up with the idea of ​​writing numbers on your hands, meeting regularly, choosing a senior person in line, who kept a record of those standing, crossed out those who did not show up on time to check in, etc.

6. String bag

The inspiration for the appearance and wide distribution of this accessory was the same total shortage. It is unknown when and where something worthwhile will come across and you must always be prepared in the best pioneer traditions.
This is where the string bag came to the rescue - a mesh bag, durable, light, compact and at the same time incredibly roomy.
By the way, you could also do it yourself.

7. Collection of recyclable materials

A traditional event in the USSR was the collection of waste paper and scrap metal.
In schools, classes regularly competed in the amount collected.
Handing in waste paper also made it possible to obtain coupons for buying books. For example, the collected works of Alexandre Dumas required 20 kg of old paper. Glass containers were also a profitable way to improve your well-being.

8. Sausage trains

Products could be obtained mainly in large cities; in the periphery before the holidays, finding something “tasty” was problematic.
Therefore, the first shopping tours to cities for sausage and other goodies were organized.

9. Red lantern in the bathroom

People in the USSR loved to take photographs. But developing and printing photos in professional studios was too expensive and not that interesting.
Therefore, every amateur photographer mastered the intricacies of developing films and printing photographs, and the bathroom or kitchen periodically turned into a darkroom with red light, developers, fixers, films and wet photographs.

10. Music on X-rays(Music on bones, or as it was also called “on turtles”, “on ribs”)

In the USSR, not every genre of music was officially permitted.
There were lists of corrupting and imperialist groups and performers. It was almost impossible to get a record of jazz or rock and roll.
But the people found a way out here too. The record was re-recorded onto used films from X-ray machines. This was real music on the bones!