Found the most amazing phones from the USSR. I even found a model from Tesla!

When I was working on this material, I drew attention to the abundance of online directories, which collected data on the presence, quantity and variety of precious metals in Soviet telephones. Some will really be interested only from this point of view, but here is another case. They seem to have real historical value – plus, they are interesting from the standpoint of industrial design and technological finds from the distant past.

“Red Dawn” (1936)

→ classic phone like from a movie

The thing, on the one hand, is massive, but very elegant, on the other. When you look at him, a series of films about Sherlock Holmes immediately appears in your head – including the Soviet one. The most real retro, which has a place on the museum shelf. By the way, this is one of the first telephone sets among all those produced in the USSR for use in state institutions. The design of the “close to text” device was copied from the early models of the Ericsson company, which owned the factory of the future Red Star since the end of the 19th century. The institution passed into Soviet ownership after nationalization – it used Swedish developments in its activities for a long time.

TAN-6m (1949)

→ massive Soviet classics with “LED” numbers

An important feature of this device, in addition to a really cool vintage design by today’s standards, was the use of fluorescent paint on the dialer drum. To put it simply, she absorbed light during the daytime and gave it off at night – a real find of the Perm Telephone Plant. To dial a phone number in the evening, in this case, it was not necessary to turn on the general or other light sources. It would seem that with such a device it was possible to call all your friends all night long. However, in reality, such telephones could only be found in government institutions. Moreover, the Soviet army actively used them to protect the state.

▶︎ Fact: The Perm Telephone Plant was formed during the Great Patriotic War and made a significant contribution to the overall victory. The change in the development vector of the enterprise occurred after the 60s. Then, from rather primitive devices, it moved to very advanced ones, which were installed both in factories and in residential premises.

VEF BAGTA-50 (1956)

→ one of the most popular devices in the middle of the 19th century

This device was produced at the VEF Riga State Electrotechnical Plant in the Latvian SSR until 1965. Outwardly, it already strongly resembled telephones, which were in almost every apartment in the late Soviet Union. Engineers managed to simplify the design and set up a truly mass production of the device, so it enjoyed maximum attention in the middle of the last century, including among ordinary residents of the country. By and large, the device deserves attention precisely because of its popularity.

KD-6 (1963)

→ telephone hub for executives

A truly technological device for its time, which was produced by the Perm Telephone Plant. It was possible to directly connect six telephone lines to the device at once – not only internal, but also urban. The device skillfully holds an active call, with its help it was even possible to implement the functionality of simultaneous communication with several subscribers at once – a conference call. Of course, for the mass consumer, this thing was not available. However, he didn’t really need her. The concentrators were ordered for the heads of enterprises – with the help of them they could contact their subordinates as quickly as possible.

▶︎ Fact: in similar cases, models KS-6 and TKMS were also produced – the first for secretaries, the second for signalmen. It is also interesting to note that the image above does not include a separate power supply with a signaling device, which could be hidden somewhere behind the table so as not to spoil its appearance.

VEF TA-68 (70s)

→ the most popular telephone set in the USSR until the end of the 80s

The Riga State Electrotechnical Plant VEF in the Latvian SSR by this time was very firmly entrenched in the mass market. In the 70s and 80s of the last century, it gained maximum distribution among ordinary consumers. What can I say, these devices were actively used even in the late Soviet Union. They were presented in a wide variety of bright colors: yellow, red, blue and so on. By and large, the device can be considered a real symbol of the era.

TA-1158 “Tone” (80s)

→ extraordinary conditionally portable handset

A unique device that could hardly be called truly massive. However, in a similar role, its use was not intended. The Perm Telephone Plant positioned the device as a gift – a souvenir that could be presented to an employee for good work, to a manager on a birthday or other holiday, to parents, and so on. Structurally, the device was a conditionally portable handset with a built-in disk for dialing. The design was quite massive and not particularly comfortable for long-term use precisely because of its weight.

▶︎ Fact: products of the Perm Telephone Plant can still be found in many countries of the post-Soviet space. Such devices are not only in factories with roots from the USSR, but also in apartments, offices, mines, payphone booths and even on ships.

TA-1321 (80s)

→ today this device would definitely be called steampunk

A striking example of an industrial telephone, which in factories could be installed right inside the workshops. This was especially true for the metallurgical industry, as well as in mining industries – wherever there is too much dust, there is a possibility of an explosion, and gases that are critical for ordinary household appliances can also be in the air. The engineers of the Perm Telephone Plant managed to protect the device from any such calls of “fate”.

TA-1128 “Spectrum” (80s)

→ many people called this telephone “foreign”

This device was produced by the Perm Telephone Plant in the mid-80s. It did not look like classic Soviet communication devices – the external one, rather, resembled foreign counterparts. However, to achieve this, the engineers did not have to make great efforts. They simply redesigned the case, in which they managed to fit the components that were used before. However, this did not make the device incredibly popular – many still preferred something simpler.

▶︎ Fact: Interestingly, the “Spectrum” could be purchased both in the desktop version and in the wall. It is the second format that is shown in the photo above – however, just like that, the devices practically do not differ externally.

Tesla Stropkov ES2300 (80s)

→ absolutely not massive, but definitely attracting attention

This device was produced in the Czech Republic, but was not massive. In the Soviet Union, it was considered quite rare and fashionable – even on the territory of the manufacturing republic. The device simply did not have any interesting features, except for a non-standard design. However, those who used it in the late USSR today recall that the phone was made much better than its more mass-produced counterparts.

VEF STA-2 (80s)

→ government telephone for secret communications

This device had special components that reliably, as for their time, protected communications from possible interception. Only specially trained officers installed such devices in the offices of leaders in the government – they are the manufacturers of checks for any devices built into the network that could be used to intercept. In the middle of the rotary dialer, the coat of arms of the Soviet Union clearly stands out, which unambiguously hinted at the government purpose of the device.

▶︎ Fact: when the first such telephones for secret communications began to be installed in the Kremlin, the name “Vertushka” was firmly established behind them. Apparently, it was from there that it went to the people, who began to use it for all devices with a disk set.