Kiev-4a for a football champion

[Spyderman]

Last saturday I've been to a camera-show. That's nothing unusual, but I found there a 1962 Kiev 4a. The shutter was stuck, lens scratched and the back was difficult to open, but there was something engraved on the bottom. I couldn't resist, and the price was great. Since I'm not good at reading hand-written cyrillic I had to wait till I come home and have my mother read it.

This is a free translation of the engraving:

To G.S.Khusainov, player of team Spartak Moskva - champion of USSR in football 1962 from ВЦСПС (ВЦСПС = VCSPS)


In 1962 Kiev-4a's were probably valuable presents for players of the winning team. It makes me wonder which modern camera , if given as a present today, would survive 45 years ? 🙄

And an even more interesting question is how this camera found its way to a camera collector in Slovakia (I mean the elder man from whom I bought it)... 😕

BTW: here's some more info about Mr. Khusainov

 

[spiderfrank]

Wow !! This is very cool!
I think you should have a look at the Kiev Survival Site, and try to fix the shutter

Ciao
Franco

 

[Spyderman]

Thanks Franco,

but overhauling Kievs is my favorite activity (beside fondling Kievs) 😀 I've done already 4 or so... One of them is now the main camera of our Basque comrade Pitxu.

I just wanted to share this interesting finding, but it seems none is interested. This thread got only 2 visits so far...

 

[rxmd]

The VTsSPS is the All-Union Central Council of Labour Unions of the Soviet Union (ВЦСПС = Всесоюзный центральный совет профессиональных союзов).

Interesting who gave you gifts if you were a football player?

Philipp

 

[Joao]

Hi
Interesting finding, and the "collectable" value of that camera goes upwards. I justwould like to know the way the camera has taken from the football player to your hands, certainly an interesting story (purchases? losses? lendings? who knows...). Thank you for sharing
Joao

 

[Spyderman]

Thanks Philipp for explanation. If I remember well there used to be Confederation of Labout Unions in Czechoslovakia as well. I see that they could be the organization to give presents to players.

I was thinking that maybe the player wasn't interested in picture taking himself and maybe sold or traded the camera for something else he needed. There was always need of some sort. People could not export money abroad. Therefore they bought some sort of goods, then went to another country where they sold or traded it for something else.
(I know this from stories of my grandpa - they used to buy a brand new tent before each vacation in Yugoslavia, and would sell it there just before going back home. For the money they would buy jeans and other clothes which weren't available in Czechoslovakia.)

 

[palec]

Wonderful! Thanks for the story, memories are coming!!!!! 🙂

 

[Peter_Jones]

I can't read cyrillic on the page you linked, Spyderman, but I wonder if he is still alive ?

 

[Spyderman]

I can't read cyrillic on the page you linked, Spyderman, but I wonder if he is still alive ?

I was thinking about the same thing. But I didn't find anywhere the date of his death, so maybe he's still alive. He was born 1937, so he would be 70 or 71 now.

 

[rxmd]

Well, he celebrated his 70th birthday last August.

 

[nzeeman]

here are some news about him http://www.rfs.ru/?node=engnews&page=2
he was selected as one of russian football legends. there are photos from manifestation also
http://www.rfs.ru/?node=reds

maybe you can try and contact him Ondrej through russian football federation.

 

[Spyderman]

Wow, I didn't know he was such a legend...I might try to contact him...

 

[SCOTFORTHLAD]

Great story Ondrej,
I am a football follower,and can well remember the name Spartak Moscow regularly in European football in the 60's,as well as today.

As an aside my own local team Swansea Town (now Swansea City),competed in the European Cup Winners Cup as representatives of Wales in 1961/62.They were drawn against MOTOR JENA of East Germany,and after the two matches all of the Swansea players were presented with cameras/ lenses ,so presumably the East German club had connections with the Zeiss optical industry in Jena.

Swansea lost the tie,but their 'home' game had to be played in Linz,Austria,because the German team could not obtain visas to visit the UK!!!--thankfully those 'Cold War' days are long gone now.


Brian.

 

[Spyderman]

I used babelfish to translate this page: http://www.samru.ru/society/sport/28924.html - here's a short excerpt:

Alas, disease prevented trenerskim plans. in 1994 khusainovu placed terrible diagnosis - atrophy of brain. Invalid carriage. Yr they fought for the life of great football player. But Khusainov it scrambled out itself because of the heroic efforts of the wife Of lyubovi Of leonidovny.

Sad, but if I understand it well, he got over it and is fine now...

 

[ErnestoJL]

Ondrej:

Your new Kiev 4a is a very nice finding. It´s well known that Kievs were regarded as the best soviet made cameras so they were almost allways the choice when some one was awarded for his/her outstanding capabilities. The one you get has an interesting history behind it, so the price payed I guess was far lower than what it should be. Perhaps you can investigate a little and get the full history of your new camera.

Thanks for sharing!

Cheers

Ernesto

 

[shadowfox]

Fascinating! I wonder how the camera get to the seller at the camera show. Stories waiting to be uncovered.

 

[Spyderman]

I think I'll try to contact Mr. Khusainov through Russian fooball association as nzeeman suggested. My mother can still speak (and hopefully write) Russian, so she could help me translate a letter...

I'll let you all know when I have something new.

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Ondrej, this is a very cool story. Can you show us a pic of the whole camera? Even if it the camera is quite battered, that makes it just the more interesting now its been owned by a famous sportsman!

 

[Spyderman]

Ron: I'll take some pics when I get home in the afternoon, but on the outside it looks like an ordinary Kiev 4a of 1961. And now that I've overhauled it it's working fine except for slow speeds... on slow speeds the shutter often doesn't fully close, but from 1/50 to 1/1250 it's working fine.

 

[Nikon Bob]

Very good find you have there. It is a unique Kiev with that inscription on it and I would definitely try and contact Mr. Khusainov . It would be interesting to hear what he has to say about the camera and will only add to it's value should you decide to sell it latter on. A few years ago I picked up a Zeiss folder that had a silver plaque attached to the back saying it was presented to an employee of the pulp and paper mill that I now work at in Sept. 1939. I always wondered if he was retiring or going off to war. It also got me interested in folders. Enjoy your find and let us know if you are able to contact Mr. Khusainov.

Bob