Vintage Safety Goggles
Safety goggles have been around for hundreds of years. As with safety goggles of today, the purpose of vintage safety goggles was to protect the eyes of the wearer. They were worn by pilots, motorcycle drivers, motorists and skiers to protect their eyes from wind and dust, or snow blindness and too much sun. Other professions that made use of these goggles were doctors and scientists who needed to protect their eyes from dangerous chemicals. Welders also needed to wear safety goggles to protect their eyes from the brilliant light resulting from the welding process. Vintage safety goggles are much sought after these days, not so much for their safety uses but as either collectible items or to add to costumes or dress up the steampunker's outfit.
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 Vintage SAFETY GLASSES GOGGLES with Original Box Optical Retro  US $8.00
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 Vintage Secureye Safety Goggles In EC US $24.99
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 Vintage Safety Goggles in New Condition Very Rare Oldie US $8.99
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Sometimes you are able to find brand new, never before worn vintage goggles for sale by private collectors, or on eBay. These safety goggles are usually sold from around $45 to $50 on up to over $150 depending on the goggles themselves and their rarity, and the state the goggles are in.
It is difficult to say when the first safety goggles were made, but reference to welding where the operator wore spectacles of dark smoked glass was made in a New York Times newspaper article, in October 1898. During World War One welding was common and thus there are quite a few safety goggles from this era onwards. Scientists and those of the medical profession were also commonly wearing goggles from the late 1900's to protect their eyes from impact from objects as well as chemical splashes that would damage their eyes.
There are also many so-called 'vintage goggles' for sale on different online clothing or accessory stores, however oftentimes these are not true vintage goggles, but rather a replication of them. While the original vintage safety goggles would, for the most part, still offer protection to the eyes of the wearer, these replicated vintage goggles do not offer the same safeguards and should not be used when full eye protection is needed, for example when welding.
It is usually fairly easy to spot the difference between genuine vintage safety goggles and those that are designed specifically as an accessory. Not only will the price be a good indicator of what is a genuine vintage goggle but you can also tell this from looking at the material the goggles are made from. Older vintage goggles were made from glass and metal, with leather straps and often a type of mesh at the side. Accessory goggles are often made from plastic and painted to resemble metal.
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