Ajax–12 "Coat Button" Spy Camera (#4) - 1995 - Soviet/KGB Design

Video of this item: Background Info: This is an original, fully functioning Ajax-12 (or F-21) subminiature camera and "coat button" disguise, produced by Krasnogorski Mekhanicheskii Zavod (KMZ) for the Russian government from 1951 until 1995. The Ajax-12 was an incredibly versatile camera that was used by the KGB (the Soviet equivalent to the CIA) and other Warsaw Pact nations for covert photography. Its small size meant that it was easy to conceal within everyday objects, including umbrellas, handbags, a pack of cigarettes, and most famously under one's coat. The "coat button" apparatus shown here was used to accomplish this. The camera would be carefully positioned to shoot from behind the button holes, and was activated with a remote shutter switch hidden in the operative's coat pocket. Often the center of the button was split and would act as a pair of shutters, opening up when a photo was taken. For a detailed Ajax-12 spec sheet, check out Crypto Museum: www.cryptomuseum.com/cove