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This domino set, including the box, is made of carbolite. Carbolite is a similar phenolic resin to Bakelite, but it was developed by Soviet scientists starting in the mid-1910s.
Soviet carbolite dominoes were made using hot compression molding. When raw carbolite powder was compressed and baked under extreme heat, it cured around mechanical steel rods called ejector pins, which pushed forward through the bottom of the mold to pop the finished domino out. The pressure from the pins left permanent, clean circular indents on the reverse side of the domino tiles. (see photos)
This particular set was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1917 October Revolution that was the beginning of the Soviet era. The lid on the box is written in Ukrainian and translates to 50 Years of the Great October. The embossed illustration on the left side depicts the Monument to Shchors in Kyiv, featuring the Ukrainian Red Army commander Nikolai Shchors on horseback. The reverse side of each domino features beautiful artwork of vines and flowers. (please see photos)
Because it is a localized Ukrainian commemorative release from 1967, it holds additional historic value. Factories were mandated to produce specific quotas, temporarily switching their standard molds for this kind of artwork. Most of the sets were funneled directly to regional kiosks, state department stores, and specialized toy outlets. Many sets were also distributed through labor unions as official presentation gifts.
Set Details:Manufacturer: a plastics manufacturing plant in the city of Korets, Rivne regionOriginal State-Regulated Retail Price: 82 kopecks
28 black tiles with impressed white-painted pips. Authentic carbolite dominoes have sharp, crisp edges around each impressed pip, and you can distinctly feel the depth of the recesses. The edges of the dominoes are sharp (not rounded). The dominoes show slight age-related wear and tear but are in otherwise excellent condition.
When I ran a domino under hot water, rubbed the domino and smelled it, I thought I could smell a very faint chemical smell. When I rubbed Maas cream on the domino, though, the Maas changed from pink to a grayish color, not yellow.
These dominoes are not heavy like Bakelite, but from all of my research, I am confident that these dominoes use a similar phenolic resin. (I used AI for some of my research with the understanding that AI is not mistake-free.)
