USSR white box image house of Joseph Stalin Gori city carbolite 1950s Rare

Rare Soviet carbolite box with the image of a house with a protective pavilion in the city of Gori, where Joseph Stalin was born. Made at the Tbilisi Plastics Plant in the 1950s. The condition is excellent, without chips or cracks.

About this piece

A rare Soviet souvenir box fashioned from carbolite — an early phenolic plastic beloved for its durability and crisp moulding — commemorating the birthplace of Joseph Stalin in Gori, Georgia. The cylindrical container features a detailed relief on its lid showing the protective pavilion erected around Stalin’s modest house, flanked by decorative scrollwork and classical motifs typical of Soviet neoclassical design. Manufactured at the Tbilisi Plastics Plant during the 1950s, it speaks to the state’s investment in monumental heritage and popular souvenirs during that era.

The cream-coloured plastic has aged beautifully, retaining its crisp detail and smooth finish. The box remains in excellent condition with no chips, cracks or significant wear to report — a testament to both the material’s quality and its careful keeping. The lid sits securely, and the moulded surface remains sharp. A striking artefact of Soviet material culture and Cold War-era tourism, it would appeal to collectors of Soviet memorabilia, plastics history and twentieth-century design.