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Cuffs from Eastern Europe: what's out there?

29 visible archived posts · 29 preserved total · topic ID 3946
Original topic ↗Recovered images
Nils 15 Feb 2011
#1
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Josef 15 Feb 2011
#2
If you are interested in the history of Czechoslovak handcuffs, please see my websites: www.pouta.org

You can find detailed info about eastern europe restraints.

Josef from www.pouta.org
handboeienfreak 15 Feb 2011
#3
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Hi

don't forget the lips cuffs deutsche polizei romanian folding cuff
fn herstal clejuso and so on

there are a lot of european handcuffs an lots of info
for the lips deutsche polizei cuffs look at dutch connection website
you can see the conplete story of august schwarz to deutsche polizei lips cuffs
and next week i go to the lips company they ask me to talk about the dutch lips police handcuffs for new model


best

patrick
AlexBY 16 Feb 2011
#4
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Hi,

concerning cuffs of the German Democratic Republic (GDR / DDR) I have never seen a written source (or something equal) which proofs that the cuffs have been built in GDR prisons by inmates.
Nor have I seen any link that could provide further information.
It is always mentioned kind of "Someone told me / I heard, they were build...".
I'm reading lot of literature on GDR and its people and its prisoners (most of all for political reasons) and they had to do different kind of working through their stay in prison, but producing handcuffs never was mentioned. (Sure, this is no proof, they were NOT produced in prison.)

I've got a version of GDR leg irons with swivel instead of a cable. Probably a single piece without further information. When built? By whom? During GDR times or afterwards?



Greetings

AlexBY
handboeienfreak 16 Feb 2011
#5
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
hi

here is the link to multyply and the link of dutch connection



http://handboeien.multiply.com/links/item/7





best

patrick
Nils 16 Feb 2011
#6
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Patrick,

maybe that's from your point of view (that is, Holland ), but I don't consider Germany in general to be part of Eastern Europe. I was driving more at former Eastern Block states.

Nils
handboeienfreak 16 Feb 2011
#7
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
hi

sorry my mistake did not read eastern europe

though europe

but there is small info only from what they say ) from eastern europe

some years back found a website with old papers from germany poland and some other country's

with some information but can't find this website anymore

best

patrick
holstcollection 17 Feb 2011
#8
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Hi Nils,

You can add these to your East German selection, as they most likely are their
forerunner. These are among the heaviest modern cuffs ever made, 1,2 kg.

Cheers,

Lars



Atame 17 Feb 2011
#9
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Hi Lars,

I don't believe that these are East-German. I think that they are (pre) WWII.

Best regards,
Günter

Her is a little bit from Eastern Europe:

Poland




Romania


Slowakia


Czech Republic




More (modern) Czech Republic:http://www.cuffsland.com/czech.html

Ukraine




Russia






More (modern) Russia:http://www.cuffsland.com/russia.html
Anonymous 18 Feb 2011
#10
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
holstcollection 18 Feb 2011
#11
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Hi Günter,

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you. The lock constructions are too similar to come from
different times. Have a look at the picture below. What you see is the locks from a heavy hinged
cuff (left) and the lock from a 1.st version DDR cuff (right). Both locks works exactly in the
same way.



The lock to the left is made of iron (heavy hinged cuff) and the lock to the left (GDR) is made
of aluminium. The construction is more or less identical. The steering pin is riveted to the back
of the cuff and keep the lock in position.

This cuff has been up for discussion before as some people thought of them as Russian. We can't
know for sure but as a matter of fact, none of the few known have been found in Russia but in Germany.

My theory is that these cuffs were manufactured in former East Germany and the lock pattern was later
transferred to the common and mass produced GDR cuffs.


Best regards,

Lars
Tom Gross 18 Feb 2011
#12
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
I'm afraid that I must strongly agree with Guenter on this issue. Compare the workmanship on the large handcuff to the aluminum crap produced in the DDR. And the look and feel of the larger cuffs convinces me, beyond any doubt, that they are pre-WW2. So the locks are identical! So what? Would this be the first time that the East Germans stole somebody else's technology?
Andy-58 19 Feb 2011
#13
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Hello,
i have repaired a first model of GDR cuffs some years ago and taken pictures from the lock:http://www.andys-handschellensammlung.d ... /ddr_1.htm (scroll down for lock parts)

If you compare it with the pictures from Lars, you can see that it is identical to the left lock. Differences are thicker side walls and the case is cast. The case of the right lock looks like a bend sheet of metal (sheets meet at lower right corner, in left lock this corner is closed). In the newer GDR models (third model) you can see that lock case is made of bend sheet of browned steel.

So it seems that the locks of heavy hinged cuff and some GDR first models are exactly the same. Maybe, that the heavy hinged cuffs are made in the area of the later GDR if they are made (pre) WWII

Best regards
Andy58
holstcollection 19 Feb 2011
#14
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Thanks Andy for your input!


This is a very interesting discussion and I very much would like to expound my thoughts.

The workmanship somewhat differs and so does the material they are made of, so far so good! Even if
the heavy cuff is much nicer, its still kind of crudely made and not a masterpiece in finish.

As you probably noticed, the GDR cuffs are often stamped on the hinge; the numbers I've seen are "1001"
and "1002" but there might be more variations. Both cuffs on the picture are stamped "1002". The font
and size of the numbers are identical (see picture below). My theory is that the numbers indicate where
they were used or manufactured. In addition, the keys are identical. Wouldnt these significant similarities
put them in the same era?

Günter and Tom suggests they are pre WWII. None of you mentioned WHERE you think they were manufactured.
Do you think they were manufactured in the Soviet Union or in Germany? If they were produced in Germany,
they most likely would have been less crudely made and probably stamped DRGM or DRPa which they are not.
If they were manufactured in the Soviet Union, the stamps must have been brought to East Germany to stamp
all the aluminum cuffs manufactured there as they are exactly the same.

"So the locks are identical! So what? Would this be the first time that the East Germans stole somebody
else's technology? Would this be the first time that the East Germans stole somebody else's technology?"

First, don't forget East Germany was constituted in 1949. We all know that Germany often produces and produced
high quality products. What would suddenly make them so unskilled just because GDR was constituted? They were
still Germans. Wouldn't they keep some skills even through a change of the political system?

I very much would like your input in this!


Lars

Atame 19 Feb 2011
#15
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Hello everybody,

I would not say that the GDR stole the technology. The GDR like the FRG were both successors of the Third Reich. I think that the heavy steel version was produced in East Germany but prior to the end of the war. The fact that at least one piece of this model was found in Russia (I think the one Michael Busch bought a long time ago) could be the result of loot made by the Soviet Army during and after WWII.

The fact that they are not marked "DRGM" or "DRP(a)" only shows that they most probably were not patented. You do not find such markings on Stotz, Kayser and Clejuso Darbies and other famous German handcuffs either.

The "1002" marking is really a bit mysterious. Neither my single heavy handcuff nor my very rare combination bear this stamping. It could be a mark of a certain GDR authority, which was also placed on older restraints which were still in use in the early days of the GDR.

Best regards,
Günter




Atame 19 Feb 2011
#16
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
PS: what I forgot to mention: many years ago I emailed with a German fellow, who was absolutely convinced that he had seen these heavy hinged handcuffs on old Nazi film material. I've googled a lot but unfortunately I could not find any old picture from this time period showing these restraints.

Best regards,
Günter
Atame 19 Feb 2011
#17
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
PPS: I just noticed that I replied to Lars above "I don't believe that these are East-German" that was nonsense. What I wanted to say is "I don't believe that these are made in the GDR", because I do of course think that they were made in the eastern part of Germany (e.g. Prussia) but prior the foundation of the German Democratic Republic.

Best regards,
Günter
Tom Gross 19 Feb 2011
#18
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
I don't think that anybody would dispute that these large cuffs could be called "klunky". As far as a restraint is concerned, they are definitely "overkill". For this reason I think that wartime production, in Germany, is out of the question. What a waste of metal. Could they have been made in Germany immediately pre-war, before the metal shortages? Possible, but I still tend to think that the design heralds to an earlier era.

Now, on the issue of whether or not they are post-war, let's start with a truism on which I'm sure we can all agree. Soviet stuff is crap! And that part of Germany later known as E. Germany was under total Soviet domination, one way or another, from 1945-1989. And part of this domination was industry's access to the means of production, both raw materials and the machines to fabricate them. It's not that Germans suddenly became unskilled, as in Lars' argument. They remained inherently industrious and quality conscious. Conversely, they were not able to simply snap their fingers and materialize the metal and machines necessary to create a quality product.
holstcollection 20 Feb 2011
#19
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
I don't think these heavy handcuffs meet normal German standards; the appearance is a little too
rough for that. I doubt they are pre war but I agree they are not wartime production due to great
demands of metal during the war. They might be manufactured in Germany after the war and maybe
before the constitution of E. Germany. The lock construction was then adapted by E. Germany for the
GDR cuffs.

You are right about Soviet stuff is crap but not all. The cuffs on the picture below came from the late
Timo Tuomivaara collection in Finland and he referred to them as the "Stalin handcuffs" which would put
them in the time span 1927 1953. Unlike other communist handcuffs, these present a very high quality of
manufacture with very smooth and precise action.
Theyare, like the other, very chunky. The lock is fairly sophisticated and takes a solid four bitted
key with slightly bent bits. They double lock by turning the key in counterclockwise direction.
-No rules without exceptions!

Lars

Tom Gross 20 Feb 2011
#20
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Lars has just raised another issue which haunts us from time to time; how to explain "Russian" stuff which is well made. In the instant case, the "Stalin" handcuffs, they are definitely of Finnish manufacture. That is where all of them have been found. It occurs to me that, many times, especially with older items, Finnish items were incorrectly called "Russian" because, until the '20s, Finland was a province of the Russian Empire. In the instant case, however, I think that the Finnish collector from whose collection these came, and who was a stage magician, was merely trying to give them a "bad ass" name. Consider the "bad ass" names which magicians have given to their escapes over the centuries; Chinese Torture Cell, Mongolian Death Chamber, etc. And, as far as Finland was concerned, there were few names which evoked horror as much as did "Stalin".
Atame 20 Feb 2011
#21
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Lars wrote "I don't think these heavy handcuffs meet normal German standards; the appearance is a little too rough for that."

Here I totally disagree: IMHO some German pre war handcuffs are quite rough and bulky e.g. Dortmunder, Berliner, Schwertfeger and Horst Stein.

Best regards,
Guenter
holstcollection 20 Feb 2011
#22
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Thanks Tom for the input. I have always thought of them as Russian due to the name Timo gave
them and I never got any additional information from other sources. They surely differ from other
Russian cuffs and I have always thought of them to be "too good" to be Russian. The "bad ass name"
given to them make a lot of sense. Do you have any thoughts about the era of manufacture?

Günter, we all have our personal opinions and you and I just don't think alike. My opinion is that
the Dortmunder and Berliners present a considerably higher level of craftsmanship compared to the "heavy
hinged". These are also of much earlier manufacture which makes the comparison a little wrong and unfair.
As we all know, earlier restraints are often more well made as the material was expensive and the labor
was proportionately cheap.

Lars



Nils 21 Feb 2011
#23
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Thank you everybody your input.

I appreciate y'all keeping this discussion civilized and friendly; disagreeing on aspects is actually the fun and interesting part for me. As long as we don't have proof for either statement, the more input, the better. I'm always amazed of the expertise that can found on this forum, and I'm not sure I'd put my money on any individual "handcuff expert".

It seems handcuffs were considered simple tools in Eastern Europe (to pick up on the crap-argument), without makers' marks or serial numbers. Leg Irons seem to be rare in the East, which surprises me somewhat.

Thank you to Günther and Lars, and the others, for posting their photos. It's interesting we still haven't been able to nail the chunky cuff / combination.

Cheers
Nils
Atame 22 Feb 2011
#24
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
@Lars: I would not say that the "heavy hinged" is less good craftsmanship than other German vintage handcuffs. But that's a very subjective opinion of course.

@Nils: I was told by a Russian collector that leg irons and combinations are banned in Russia since the time of the Russian Revolution (1917). So they were also forbidden in the former USSR and maybe in allied countries of the Warsaw Pact, too.

Best regards,
Günter
blackest 18 Mar 2011
#25
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
There is entire line of PR09x (93-99) cuffs from Poland.
Links:

blackest 18 Mar 2011
#26
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
There is entire line of PR09x (93-99) cuffs from Poland.
Links:

Dorson 18 Mar 2011
#27
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
We need more help then just the main URL as it is not apparent where on the site it is...
blackest 18 Mar 2011
#28
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Again:

Nils 20 Mar 2011
#29
Dear folks,

it seems there is very little known about manufacturers from Eastern Europe, especially before 1990. They are usually very hard to place, and they seldom come with markings or serial numbers. The craftsmanship and material are often crude, and most do not achieve high prices with collectors.

What do we know?

Here are some pictures from cuffs I have; I'm also including Eastern Germany here (they keep popping up on ebay, and a friend recently commented that "they must have produced a pair for every West German"). Where and how is also pretty much in the dark. Convict labor in Brandenburg is mentioned sometimes.

Cheers
Nils


1 The East German set


2 Bulgaria, maybe?


3 Czech Republic (?)


4 BRS (Russian) Type
Click to expand...
Add another one from Hungary. I have no idea what the HM stands for.

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