Help Please - russian mandolin - can anyone tell me what it is?

[fuzz838]

I bought a Mandolin at a vintage shop for $35. It was pretty beat up, but I am trying to
restore it to a 'playable' condition. I was hoping someone can identify it for me. I speak zero Russian so here I am. I have a couple decent pics of the inside stickers. Any info would be great. Thanks!

Matt

[fuzz838]

body

[Shelagh Moore]

It was made in Leningrad (now St Petersburg) at the Lunacharsky factory (now named Arfa). Perhaps 1960s or 70s at a guess?

[Bruce Clausen]

Nice find. Label seems to say "price 4 rubles 6.5 kopeks", which currently equals about 13 cents Canadian. Hope you'll share the restoration process here.

[barney 59]

Nice find. Label seems to say "price 4 rubles 6.5 kopeks", which currently equals about 13 cents Canadian. Hope you'll share the restoration process here.

In 1979 when I was there the official exchange rate was 70 kopeks to a US dollar. On the street(blackmarket) however you could get 3 rubles for a US dollar. So for $10 you could get 30 rubles and you were the richest guy in town. Russians made plain, rugged serviceable stuff--very little variety with a one size fits all mentality. My guess is it will probably play o.k and can also double as a tennis racket!

[8ch(pl)]

I had one of these type, except that mine had a Moulded Plastic (possibly Fibreglass) body. It had a nice spruce top which was quarter-sawn and had very small growth rings. The neck was Beech. The instrument had Corrugated frets that were pressed into the fingerboard. A few of them fell out. The price on mine was 12 Rubles. Except for the fret issue, it was a nice sounding instrument. I only paid $80 for it second hand in 1979. When I got a better instrument I threw it out, but now I wish I had put a new fretboard on it.

A friend from Bulgaria did the label translation, it was also Leningrad.