Back in The USSR: Soviet Commemorative Cards for Vladimir Lenin

Back in The USSR:
Soviet Commemorative Cards for Vladimir Lenin

In 1986, with the United States and the Soviet Union still locked in a nuclear-fanged geopolitical standoff around the globe, the world managed to come together and celebrate itself at The World’s Fair in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Dubbed Expo ’86 by its organizers — shorthand for 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication — the sprawling international affair drew 54 countries and more than 22 million visitors.

While smaller nations such as Cuba, Barbados and Costa Rica were well represented at the six-month event, the two Superpower rivals once again faced off with supersized pavilions that put American capitalism up against Soviet communism.

This set of commemorative cards features seven images of the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin at various stages throughout his life, with the back of each card inscribed partly in Russian but mostly in French that details the circumstances of each image.

Contained in a gold-hued paper case, these cards were sold at the Soviet pavilion as authentic keepsakes for fellow travelers who needed a photo chronicle of Lenin’s life as a revolutionary leader.

Just five years later, Lenin’s workers’ utopia imploded in a largely bloodless acceptance of personal freedom over state authority and these Soviet era tchotchkes provide an authentic memento of the man behind it all.

Dimensions: Four inches horizontally, Six inches vertically (4 x 6”)

Condition: Very Good. Some mild aging of case.