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Vintage Eyeglasses

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,071
Location
London, UK
Missy Hellfire said:
I did a search and couldn't seem to find a thread that was similar so apologies if I am repeating a prior enquiry...

Having just got back from the optician and being told that my eyes are about to fall out unless I get myself some spectacles for work, I thought that this could be the ideal opportunity to get myself some vintage face furniture! As I am on somewhat of a budget, does anyone know of any good tips for getting hold of vintage or vintage style frames (particularly 1920s-1940s)? There is a fantastic site that I am already aware of that is based here in the UK called Retrospecs with a very fine collection but perhaps a little out of my range for now. I have a stopgap pair of specs on order from the optican and managed to get away without having some overpriced rubbish that made me look like I was pretending to be an archetect foisted upon me, but they are nowhere near what I am after. they are only for reading and not constant wear, so I thought I could get away with something quite bold.

Any thoughts, past experiences and tips would be most appreciated!

(Unfortunately it is both my eyes that need tlc, so a monocle is out, darn it!)

lol lol lol

Long term, I would suggest getting in touch with Shuron - even with shipping, my frames ended up costing me only about £50 per pair, as opposed to the £85 odds in the UK. They have a great range of vintage styles that cover late Victoriana through to the Sixties. In the meantime, eBay is a good option - I've picked up a couple of sets of frames for various costume purposes there, and have been very pleased with them. Unlike auctions for vintage sunglasses I've followed, spectacle frames seem to go for very low prices most of the time, so worth checking out. Can be a bit hit and miss if you need a larger size, but so cheap, you could always sell them on if they don't work.... One you have a pair that do, use that for measurements...
 

matei

One Too Many
Messages
1,022
Location
England
I had a pair of these when I was in the army... they're known as "BCGs" (birth control glasses), as anyone wearing them would most likely never have the chance to... ah, well - you get the idea. There should be loads around.

They're vaguely vintage-ish, kind of a bad '70s vibe to them:
il_430xN.86570905.jpg


To make matters worse, not only did mine break in the middle and require tape to hold them together, but the army docs got the prescription wrong.

In one eye I'm slightly farsighted, with astigmatism, and in the other - nearsighted. However, in the army way, they made both lenses identical - for nearsightedness.

Thanks to that, I had no depth perception for the 2 months I was in basic training. Loads of fun, especially when running down stairs or jumping to catch a rope.
 

bbshriver

One of the Regulars
Messages
180
Location
Lexington, NC
I was just watching "A river Runs Through It" the other night and it occurred to me... I love the father's glasses. Anyone know where I can get those, or some like it?
 

Doublegun

Practically Family
Messages
773
Location
Michigan
Vintage style glasses?

I know this one has been discussed before but other than Shuron, what company makes high-quality fames for glasses?

Thanks,

DG
 

MrBern

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,469
Location
DeleteStreet, REDACTCity, LockedState

GreyHaas

New in Town
Messages
20
Location
Baltimore, MD
I've had my eye on some Moscot's for a bit now.

The "Vilda" and "Lemtosh" models look pretty cool. They come in some nice color combinations and you can get the vintage green sunglasses lenses in them too.
 

MrBern

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,469
Location
DeleteStreet, REDACTCity, LockedState

Tony in Tarzana

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,276
Location
Baldwin Park California USA
I still haven't bought new glasses, but my old ones are almost 9 years old so I'd better get a move on.

I tried these Shuron Sidewinder frames on today. I've found them for $67 online and I'm very tempted.

Photo0068.jpg
 

Johnny Astro

New in Town
Messages
6
Location
The Cornbelt
I got my Ronsirs directly from Shuron and for my experience, their customer service was top notch. They sent me a box with a bunch of different sizes,colors and styles and I just picked what I wanted and sent back the rest.

Couldn't decide between the tortoise and the gray briar, so I made the logical choice and got both.....
 

SarahBeth

New in Town
Messages
5
Location
MN
Johnny Astro said:
I got my Ronsirs directly from Shuron and for my experience, their customer service was top notch. They sent me a box with a bunch of different sizes,colors and styles and I just picked what I wanted and sent back the rest.

Couldn't decide between the tortoise and the gray briar, so I made the logical choice and got both.....

I've looked at their site and have been curious about how much they cost? That's amazing that they sent you a box of different styles & sizes to try!

I've also been browsing around on ebay and various other sites for vintage eyeglasses.
Right now I have a dozen different frames from zennioptical.com since they're so cheap. I even have this pair in brown tortoise shell. Not bad for $8 but I would really like a real vintage pair.
 

univibe88

One Too Many
Messages
1,146
Location
Slidell4Life
Ronsirs are around $100. I echo the statement about their customer service. They actually sent me 3 different sizes for me to try on and I sent them all back. Then I had my eye doctor order the frames so I could take advantage of my insurance benefits. Shuron knew I was doing this and was totally fine with it.
 

Ghostsoldier

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,410
Location
Starke, Florida, USA
Be careful of some of the EBayer's....I bought a cheap pair with prescription lenses (from a optometrist, no less) that turned out to be costume glasses that you could buy for 5 bucks. :mad:

The arm broke (no wire reinforcement), and they replaced it, but the frames are cheap junk, and they broke again at the bridge a week later (and I'm gentle on my glasses). They cost me 30 bucks, but I just chucked them aside, lesson learned. ;)

Spend the extra money, and get a good set of frames.
Rob
 
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
Ghostsoldier said:
Be careful of some of the EBayer's....I bought a cheap pair with prescription lenses (from a optometrist, no less) that turned out to be costume glasses that you could buy for 5 bucks. :mad: Rob
*******
One of the great pitfalls of vintage and collectors are those that as the Antiques Roadshow defines as "Made to Fool" items. Sometimes the seller is unaware but when they know and look to gouge a buyer representing the item as original that is scummy lying cheating thievery at the worst.
 

SarahBeth

New in Town
Messages
5
Location
MN
I'm bidding on a pair right now that I'm excited about on ebay. I've bought 2 pairs of Tart Optical glasses on there before. They were good quality but didn't look right on me so I sold them. I hope that I win this bid and they look good on me.
I also found this site while browsing around: http://giantvintage.com/ It seems like they have a bunch of fun vintage frames at good prices. I'm sure I'll end up buying a pair of clubmaster style sunglasses from them.
 

SarahBeth

New in Town
Messages
5
Location
MN
BinkieBaumont said:
PHONOGRAPH_demigreen_G.jpg


"These are rather nice"
I've been thinking about getting a pair like that ever since I found this photo of my grandmother:

tumblr_kvicc55M8n1qzrflio1_500.jpg


I won just won these on ebay:
tumblr_kwmnxsfbsK1qzrflio1_500.jpg

If they end up looking good on me I'll post a photo.
 

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