Vintage USSR Armed Forces of Soviet Russia Matchbox

Soviet Armed Forces Matches

This Soviet matchbox carries a poster-style label honoring the Armed Forces of the USSR, with a soldier, a pilot and a sailor standing beneath large red CCCP letters. It is a small, genuine piece of Soviet military culture. Collectors of Soviet militaria put it on the shelf, and reenactors use it to add period detail to a kit.

Features

• CCCP Red Lettering — Large red letters spell CCCP, the Cyrillic abbreviation for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, across the top of the label.
• Three-Service Artwork — The illustration shows a rifleman in a steel helmet, an aviator in flying goggles and a sailor in a navy cap, standing for the army, air force and fleet.
• Cyrillic Slogan — Red text reads "Да здравствуют Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза!", which translates as "Long live the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union!"
• Spichki Header — The word СПИЧКИ, Russian for "matches," sits between two red stars at the top of the label.
• Pressed-Cardboard Box — The outer sleeve and inner tray are made of thin pressed card, the standard material for Soviet matchboxes.
• Sliding Inner Tray — The tray pushes out of the sleeve to reveal a row of wooden matches with green heads.
• Side Striking Strip — A dark brown abrasive strip along the side of the sleeve gives the match heads a surface to strike against.
• Pocket-Sized Format — The box is small enough to carry in a shirt pocket or set into a display case with other small items.

Soviet Military Ephemera

In the USSR, everyday items like matchboxes carried patriotic artwork, and this label honors the army, air force and navy in one image. All of the text is printed in Cyrillic directly on the label, in the bold red and sepia style of Soviet wartime posters. It sits well alongside Soviet insignia, uniforms and field gear in a collection, and it adds an authentic small detail to a reenactor's display.