2025.1

Astra Diu

DATE / PERIOD: c. 1965–1989. The dating range is bracketed by: (1) the "STAINLESS" composition marking, which post-dates the early-1960s commercial introduction of stainless DE razor blades (Wilkinson Sword launched the first stainless DE blades in September 1961, and the technology had largely supplanted carbon-steel DE blades by the late 1960s); and (2) the "Czechoslovakia" country-of-origin marking, which pre-dates the January 1, 1993 dissolution of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The aesthetic of the packaging is consistent with mid-to-late 20th-century Czechoslovak consumer-goods design, most likely 1970s-1980s.

Individual wrapper (image 1): - "ASTRA" — large cream block letters on royal blue - "SUPERIOR" — white/cream lettering - "* * *" — three-star quality grade - "STAINLESS" — white/cream lettering - Decorative razor-blade graphic on the cream/white half Outer box (images 2, 3, 4): Front face (printed): - "ASTRA" — large white/cream block letters on royal blue - "SUPERIOR" — white/cream lettering (the "Superior" wording mostly worn away in the surviving box) - "* * *" — three-star quality grade - "STAINLESS" — white/cream lettering (also worn on the surviving box) - Decorative razor-blade graphic Back face (printed): mirror of front face Side panel (printed): "MADE IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA" Other side panel (printed): "5 BLADES" + Astra brand crest Languages: All visible text in English on both the wrapper and the box. The package is an export-format design using English as the international commercial language.

Individual wrapper: lightweight paper (likely waxed or coated paper for moisture resistance against the steel blade); two-color lithographed ink (royal blue + cream/yellow on cream paper) Outer box: coated cardstock / lightweight printed cardboard with two-color lithographed inks (deep royal blue + cream/yellow) Blade (presumably still inside the wrapper): stainless steel, approximately 0.10 mm thick standard DE-blade dimensions TECHNIQUES: Offset lithography or letterpress two-color printing on paper (wrapper) and cardboard (outer box); die-cut and folded/glued construction; the individual wrapper is the standard folded-paper-pouch construction used industry-wide for DE razor blades from the early 20th century onward

Fair

The unusual configuration of this object provides DOUBLE the documentary surface area — both the outer-box design and the individual-wrapper design are preserved — and offers two related but distinct printed artifacts to examine. The Astra individual wrapper is a small but elegant example of mid-century Eastern European consumer-goods graphic design. The two-color (royal blue + cream/white) palette, the restrained slab-serif typography, the heraldic three-star grade marking, and the stylized razor-blade-with-sunburst graphic together produce an unusually polished and confident small-format design. The fact that the outer box is heavily worn while the surviving individual wrapper is in much better condition is documentarily meaningful. The most likely interpretation: the box was actively used (opened repeatedly to store and retrieve blades for shaving). Astra is one of the most internationally recognized double-edge razor blade brands in the world today, and its origins are firmly Czechoslovak. The factory was located in Jevíčko, a small town in the Pardubice Region of Moravia. During the socialist era (1950-1993), the enterprise operated as "Astra Diu State Corp," producing razor blades for both the domestic Czechoslovak market and substantial export markets across COMECON, the developing world, and Western consumers. 1993-1996 Astra Diu S.R.O.; 1996-2005 Gillette Czech S.R.O.; 2005-Now Czech Blades S.R.O.