Antique Glasses

Pair of leather glasses, c. 1600s

Kaleidoscopes

This is an 1800s prototype of a William Leigh Newton brass Kaleidoscope, c. 1822.

Antique eye medications

Dr. Agnew’s Eye Water,circa 1880

Lorgnettes

Collection of lorgnettes (glasses with handles), circa 19th and 20th centuries.

Scissors Glasses

Eyeglass Cases

Collection of 19th and 20th century cases

Ophthalmic Instruments

Ophthalmometer used to measure the cornea, dated 1899

Optical devices

Microscopes, telescopes, sextants, theolidites, and a vast array of other instruments are highly collectible

Safety Glasses

Safety eyewear was a staple of the Industrial Revolution

Stamps

Some philatelists collect stamps with eyes on them

Incunables

Books printed before 1500 that have optical significance. This one shows one of the first depictions of eyeglasses in a printed book.

Rare Books

1691 prayer book with reading glasses embedded in back cover!

Trade Signs

Optical trade signs are a hot commodity! American Pickers purchased one for $8500.00!

Porcelain ointment pots

Popular during Victorian era England

Opera Glasses

Always a fashionable accessory, these hand-carved ivory opera glasses were the pinnacle of high society.

Coins

Some members collect trade coins from the 1800’s

Eyewash cups

Some eyewash cups date back to the 1500s or earlier, and can fetch extremely high prices

Unusual glasses

These glasses for a horse were made around 1900.

Cameras

Cameras are collected by millions of people worldwide.

Model Eyes

Glass and plaster eye made in 1890 by Brock Steger.

Stereoscopes

Stereoscopes were all the rage in the mid-to-late 1800s. Here is a coin operated one from 1899.

Rare optical items

Spyglass fan from 1800. Less than 200 of these exist worldwide.

Quackery

Numerous items claiming to cure one’s vision abounded during the 19th and 20th century

Figurines

These adorable figurines are collected by eye doctors and opticians everywhere.