10 of the Most Sought After Relics from the Cold War Era

From 1947 to 1991, the world's two biggest superpowers fought a war of intelligence, technological posturing, and mutually assured destruction.

By Daniel Bonfiglio

Published 3 weeks ago in Wow

From 1947 to 1991, the world's two biggest superpowers fought a war of intelligence, technological posturing, and mutually assured destruction.

While there are surely hundreds of objects and objectives that remain classified, many know relics from the war are highly sought after, lost or otherwise.

Here are 10 of the coolest artifacts from the Cold War era.

1
Soviet KGB Fialka Cipher Machine
This soviet encrypting device from 1956 was more powerful than the infamous Enigma. A version sold for $22 thousand at an American museum auction in 2021.

2
The Lost Nuke of Palomares
The United States lost a reported total of 32 nuclear bombs over the course of the Cold War and one can assume that the Soviet Union lost their fare share as well. However, the US located all but three of their “Broken Arrows.” One of those three fell into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain when two American planes collided in 1966. But despite significant recovery efforts the bomb never emerged. It is still sitting beneath the waves… somewhere.

3
The Apollo 11 Lunar Collection Bag
NASA did a pretty poor job keeping track of its ‘60s and ‘70s artifacts, including the original moon landing lunar collection bag. It wound up in the hands of a private owner, who asked NASA to verify its authenticity before auction. A judge ruled that NASA had no power to repossess it. It is worth a reported $1.8 million.
4
The Heart Attack Gun
This CIA creation silently fired a poison dart designed to trigger cardiac arrest. However, the “SAC-46” was inaccurate and difficult to transport covertly. So far as we know the gun was never fired during an actual mission.

5
Fidel Castro’s 1958 Havana Infiltration Letter
This two paged signed document informed other revolutionaries that Castro planned to infiltrate the Cuban capital. It sold at auction for $1,600.
6
7
Submarine K-129
When Soviet Submarine K-129 sank in the Pacific Ocean in 1968, allegedly containing nuclear materials, the race was on between the United States and Soviet Union to find it. That honor went to the US, who used superior radar to locate it before secretly outfitting a tanker to retrieve it. The US never declassified what they found.

8
Lipstick Gun
Issued to a female KGB agent, this tiny firearm was disguised as a tube of lipstick. It was uncovered during a border search and sold at a KGB spy artifacts auction.
9
The Dolmen of Guadalperal
Also known as the “Spanish Stonehenge,” Francisco Franco’s dictatorship accidentally flooded this ancient Spanish rock formation during rural development projects in 1963. It remained flooded until droughts exposed the reservoir bottom in 2022.
10
The Honjo Masamune Sword
Forged in the early 1300s, Shoguns passed the Honjo Masamune sword down through generations as one of Japan’s most sacred artifacts. That is, until Japan’s post-WWII American occupation. Legend has it, an American sergeant stole it and brought it back with him to the states. Either way, the sword was lost and has never been found.