Does anyone know how to date the AO pilot glasses? I have searched the web and can't find any information. I have 3 pair on hand and I can't tell if they are old or new. I am assuming since they are GF they are older. Would also like to find out how to date Randolph Engineering eyewear. Thank you.
I tried but it says the file is too big. I don't know why it is the same thing I upload all the time. Do you know of any place where I can research vintage eyewear. People are posting these AO pilot glasses on ebay from $10 to $700. I need to know what makes them worth $50 vs $500? I noticed that some of the listings state they are 1/10 12K GF and mine read 12K GF - they don't have the 1/10th. If I can figure out how to upload my pix, I will. Thank you.
http://forums.vintagefashionguild.org/threads/how-to-post-a-photo.42320/ You can read the above information to help you post your photos. Photos show up well using 500 x 500s pixels. If you post something larger, just use the thumbnail option and we can click on that to see the photo at a better size.
The markings are an indication of the gold content and the quality of that gold, so that would affect value. Wikipedia gives a good explanation about gold filled jewellery and it markings http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold-filled_jewelry Essentially 1/10 12K GF means that the 12kt gold is 1/10th the weight of the total item, ie 1 part 12kt gold to 9 parts base metal. If yours isn't marked it's probably less than that, but according to wikipedia 12kt gold-filled must be at least 1/20th 12kt gold to use the GF mark. I don't know if those criteria have changed over time. When I was researching American Optical specs (I had a very old pair) I found this site useful. It's not the easiest site to navigate but there's a ton of information about the company on there. http://www.opticalheritagemuseum.org/ AO are still around, and their own site has a history section with a timeline. You could always contact them and ask about your collection, some companies are happy to help. Some companies still make GF spectacles so I wouldn't assume they are old, though I don't know if AO do - but you should be able to find that out from AO themselves.
