American Optical 1940s Sunglasses

Description

A pair of American Optical 1940s sunglasses with celluloid side blinkers. The AO Aviator design remains in circulation today, but an original forties pair in such good condition is extremely rare. All the steel of the frames is in perfect shape, along with the complicated rivets, screws and pivots that keep the side shields in place, which fold neatly into the lenses when not in use. During WWII, Bausch & Lomb contracted with American Optical to produce protective spectacles such as these, with rubber coated ear stems to keep them from sticking to the skin during extreme cold weather. The silver plated frame, etched with the number 48, holds the classic American Optical green mineral glass lenses, etched with the early AO 20H mark. The measurements are 135cm from temple to temple, the lenses 45cm.