German VOPO Handcuffs

This was the first handcuff model produced in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). Manufactured during the final years of the so-called “workers’ and peasants’ state,” these cuffs were primarily made by convict labor in the Brandenburg prison. They were widely used by the Volkspolizei (People’s Police) throughout the 1960s and 1970s and were also employed by the Stasi, the infamous East German secret police—roughly comparable to the U.S. Secret Service. Constructed from nickel-plated steel with an aluminum body, the design is notably smooth and rounded, making them relatively comfortable compared to other restraints of the era.