The Soviet Union left a huge legacy. Both positive and negative memories of the past are stored in people's memory. Someone remembers the endless queues, and some of the friendship and unity of the fraternal peoples that were part of the USSR. The symbols of the USSR - pennants, flags, badges - are appreciated and collected by collectors. Faleristis (badge collectors) all over the world are looking for and buying badges issued back in the Soviet Union, which depict the coats of arms of the Union republics that were part of the USSR. Previously, such jewelry cost a penny, but now for the rarest you can get a few thousand dollars at an auction. Badges were made of aluminum, brass or copper, covered with enamel or varnish. In the photo, the badges with the emblems of the Union republics of the USSR contain all the elements characteristic of those nationalities whose republic is represented by the emblem.
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
On the emblem of the Soviet Union, officially approved on September 22, 1923, the phrase “Workers of all countries unite” was written on the red ribbons encircling the ears in the languages of all union republics. At the very bottom in the center was an inscription in Russian. Almost all the coats of arms of the Union republics of the USSR contain common elements - the rising sun, star, sickle and hammer. The rising sun symbolized the heyday of the new state. The star reflected the unity of the proletariat on all five continents of the planet. Sickle and hammer were usually interpreted as the union of the worker and the peasant.
The Russian SFSR became the first republic of a new state, uniting other republics to create a superpower that lasted almost 70 years. The emblem of the RSFSR, adopted in 1918, had the inscription "Workers of all countries unite" in Russian on the lower red canvas. In the center against the background of rays of gold were depicted a sickle and a hammer framed by ears of corn - a symbol of fertility. A red star shone above the sickle and hammer and abbreviation of the RSFSR. On the badges issued in the Soviet era, they tried to preserve the colors of state symbols - scarlet and gold.
Ukrainian SSR
Sometimes the coats of arms of the Union republics of the USSR were similar. The emblem of the Ukrainian SSR was very similar to the emblem of the RSFSR, except for the inscription, which was in Ukrainian. There was also no star above the sickle and hammer. The abbreviation USRR was deciphered in Ukrainian as Ukrainian Socialist Republic. Now on the territory of Ukraine it is almost impossible to find the symbols of the Soviet Union. Therefore, falerist-connoisseurs buy badges on the Internet.
Belorussian SSR
The emblem of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, in addition to the Soviet symbols, carried elements important for the Belarusian people. The image of the globe personified the foundation of all life. Earth in the rays of the rising sun is a symbol of life. The ears of corn - a symbol of fertility and fertility - were intertwined with red ribbons with inscriptions in Russian and Belarusian. To the left under the ribbon are pink clover flowers, which meant livestock farming developed in Soviet Belarus. On the right are flax flowers, a symbol of light industry. Interestingly, of all the emblems of the Union republics of the USSR, Belarus retained the former emblem and made it the basis for the emblem of the modern state.
Uzbek SSR
Badges depicting the coat of arms of the Uzbek USSR are very appreciated among collectors, since the sickle on them is somewhat different from the images on other emblems of the Union republics. It has a more curved blade. The rest of the coat of arms of Uzbekistan is similar to others - it contains both Soviet (sickle, hammer, star) and national (cotton branches with flowers and open boxes).
Kazakh SSR
The brightest coat of arms of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union is the coat of arms of the Kazakh SSR, in which the entire background is covered in scarlet. It is interesting that a separate badge with such a coat of arms is extremely rare; collectors look for it in sets issued in the Soviet Union.
Georgian SSR
In the photo of the arms of the Union republics of the USSR, the coat of arms of Georgia immediately stands out with a beautiful edging with a national ornament and a black inscription on a white background in Georgian and Russian. On the coat of arms there is a sickle, a hammer and a star, but there is no rising sun. Golden images of ears and vines are intertwined below and frame a blue and white mountain range in the center.
Azerbaijan SSR
The emblem of the Azerbaijan SSR, unlike other emblems of the former Soviet Union republics, has a pink color - the color of dawn. In addition to the generally accepted symbols, there are national ones - an oil rig and open cotton bolls.
Moldavian SSR
The coat of arms of the Moldavian SSR is similar to the arms of fraternal Slavic peoples with few exceptions. There is no image of the globe, but grapes are present, since Moldova has always been famous for its wines. Among the ears of wheat you can see the ears of corn, which symbolize strong agriculture. The abbreviation RCCM under the rising sun is deciphered in Moldavian as “Republika Sovetique Sochialiste Moldovenenasque”.
Kyrgyz SSR
The badge with the coat of arms of the Kyrgyz SSR is interesting not only for the abundance of details, but also for its shape. The emblem itself is not round, like other emblems of the Union republics of the USSR, but elongated vertically. The sun rising over the mountain peaks is enclosed in a golden national ornament on a blue background. Hammer and sickle are also located on this background. The ears of corn on the left and the branches of cotton on the right are intertwined with red ribbons with the inscription “Workers of all countries unite” in Kyrgyz and Russian.
Tajik SSR
Cotton, as a product of the republic’s agriculture, is also reflected in the emblem of the Tajik SSR. Moreover, in this coat of arms the red star is the largest in size. Despite the apparent simplicity, an icon with such a coat of arms is also very appreciated by collectors, because the final version of the design, approved in 1940, is very different from the previous four versions of 1924, 1929, 1931 and 1937.
Armenian SSR
The early design of the coat of arms of the Armenian SSR is unusual, since the background on which the sun's rays are located is not monochrome, and the coat of arms itself looks like an oil painting. In the 1937 version, the background disappeared, but some collections still have icons with this image. The mountains in the center symbolized free and strong Armenia, and the ears and grapes - abundance and prosperity.
Turkmen SSR
On the emblem of the Turkmen SSR, in addition to cotton and an oil derrick, an image of a carpet and factory buildings was introduced. All the coats of arms of the Union republics of the USSR reflected the wealth of their peoples, and the coat of arms of Turkmenistan was no exception. In the earlier version there was also an image of a mulberry tree, a camel, a tractor, but now it is hardly possible to find the symbolism of those years. Badges with the emblem of the Tajik SSR, approved in 1937, come across in sets issued in Soviet times.
Estonian SSR
The Baltic republics became a part of the Soviet Union rather late, therefore the coats of arms of the former Soviet republics of the USSR were simple, but kept both Soviet and national symbols. For example, in Estonia, the traditional sun, sickle, hammer and star were framed by ears of rye on the left and coniferous branches on the right. Rye was then the leading agricultural crop, and coniferous forests occupied most of the republic.
Lithuanian SSR
In the Soviet Union there was a practice of imposing symbolism. The republics that joined the USSR after 1937 were allowed to select only side elements. The emblem of the Lithuanian SSR repeats the emblem of Estonia, with the exception of tree branches. Unlike the neighboring republic, Lithuania chose to choose oak branches as a symbol of greatness and strength. After the collapse of the USSR, Lithuania, like Estonia and Latvia, completely banned all Soviet symbols and changed the emblem to pre-Soviet.
Latvian SSR
The only republic that has reflected its coastal position in the coat of arms is the Latvian SSR. Like the Baltic neighbors, Estonia and Lithuania, Latvia joined the USSR late, therefore its coat of arms is very simple and, rather, imposed by the leadership of a huge country. But the blue sea below under the image of the sickle and hammer distinguishes this emblem in content and color scheme.
Today you can find badges with the arms of the Union republics of the USSR on the Internet. Collectors carefully store these symbols of the past on velvet pads in closed boxes, polished with special tools and sold only in case of emergency.