CW snipper glasses on Ebay !

[Blum]

Do you know that item on sold on Ebay ? Civil War snipper glasses !

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=13960&item=2244462905&rd=1

[crazyzouave]

Re: CW snipper glasses on Ebay !

sharpshooter spectacles? you never seen them? they're just tinted glasses with a clear circle in the middle and frosted around it, i have also seen one that had an amber circle surounded by black glass, they were not an issue item, they were a private purchase by sharpshooters, supposedly the frosting with a clear circle about the same diameter as a period brass tubular scope and was to be able to more effectivle direct your eye down the scope without distractions... there are other stories i have heard when i went looking for a pair a little while ago but this one was the dominant story. as of yet i do not have documented proof of this information.

Mr. Lionberger,

Please sign your full name to every post. We do not allow unsigned or anonymous posts on these forums.

This is your THIRD and FINAL warning.

Thank you,

John Stillwagon
Forum Officer

[Minieball577]

Re: CW snipper glasses on Ebay !

sharpshooter spectacles? you never seen them? they're just tinted glasses with a clear circle in the middle and frosted around it, i have also seen one that had an amber circle surounded by black glass, they were not an issue item, they were a private purchase by sharpshooters, supposedly the frosting with a clear circle about the same diameter as a period brass tubular scope and was to be able to more effectivle direct your eye down the scope without distractions... there are other stories i have heard when i went looking for a pair a little while ago but this one was the dominant story. as of yet i do not have documented proof of this information.

In addition to the scope aspect, the shaded area really blocks out distraction when sighting down normal sights, as most sharpshooters did. Give it a try!

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: CW snipper glasses on Ebay !

I think those were ment for people with ailments such as glaucoma.

[John Peterson]

Re: CW snipper glasses on Ebay !

Tinted glasses like that - in green and amber - were used for various conditions throughout the mid 1800s such as weakness of the eyes from aging or travelling or a retina sensitized by something like scarlet fever. Unless there was documentation the seller wasn't mentioning (doubtful) I wouldn't automatically assume these were sharpshooters glasses - the same way I wouldn't automatically assume that a period tin cup belonged to a soldier. The seller calls them "adjustable" - they are not meant to be adjustable - sliding temples are just a style that predominated in the couple of decades prior to the 1860s. By the 1860s they were still around but new spectacles tended to have 1-piece temples by then. There is a good chance that these spectacles predate the war. If you look in Richard Caton Woodville's "Waiting for the Stage" (1850ish) you will see the central figure in a very nonmilitary setting is wearing spectacles with tinted lenses - frosted around the edges with an unfrosted spot in the center - in fact he even has tinted wing lenses. I have attached a link to a small pic of this painting. If you get a chance to see the original or a full sized reproduction you will find it is full of all sorts of great details as are all of Woodville's genre paintings.
BTW - From what I have seen in New England antique shops, the glasses on Ebay are now about twice the price you could find them for if you do a little shopping.

[Yellowhammer]

Re: CW snipper glasses on Ebay !

Thank you John for that excellent post!

I believe the origin of the "sharpshooter glasses" misnomer originated from "Lord's Encyclopedia." That tome has a similar pair that are identified as such.

I have never seen any evidence associating eyewear of this type with Civil War sharpshooters.

[DougCooper]

Re: CW snipper glasses on Ebay !

Ditto on John's post - and ask yourself how difficult it is to do any kind of spotting and shooting with glasses against a scope, esp in the 19th century where the specs were not made to the exacting tolerances they are now.

This guy has a 98.7% approval rating, which is actually quite low for a power seller. This won't help. :confused_

[ScottMcKay]

Re: CW snipper glasses on Ebay !

What the heck is a snipper glass? I have heard of a snifter glass, but not a snipper one.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: CW snipper glasses on Ebay !

Hallo Kameraden!

Alors mes Enfants, je pense que Jean-Marc's English is far better than my French.

(I would make allowance, his being in France. ;-) )

Curt-Heinrich Schmidt
L' Enfant Terrible

[Blum]

Re: CW snipper glasses on Ebay !

Well, everybody know these spectacles but me ! :o

Humm ! «*The man who ask a question look fool only five minutes, the man who never ask questions is fool all is life.*» Japanese proverb….I think ! :D

Thank you all for your interesting answers and also Curt-Heinrich for your help !

[RockCityGuard]

Re: CW snipper glasses on Ebay !

Sniper glasses or not I'm still kicking myself for passing on a pair some years ago. I was at a small event in the mountains of Kentucky neigh on 13 years ago and came across a pair of them IN MY PERSCRIPTION for $25.00. I was younger, poorer and dumb as a rock. If I could turn back time I'd have those glasses.