Hi, that was really interesting- we’d never heard of these before and we have some mother of Pearl ones made by Ludolph Bremenhaven (GmbH) which may have been purchased by German family around 100 years ago.... Would you know how we research the history of them - we’re not finding anything online beyond contacting the company. Thank you and hope you don’t mind me picking your brains!
I just got a pair of the ones with handles , mother of pearl style but the handle doesn’t extend at all, it’s very short, is that fixable or is that just the way it is? Thanks! 😊
You have to check for things like scratches and chips. The biggest pain in the ass is checking for LENS SEPARATION. How they used to make lenses is that they'd cut two separate lenses, and then fuse them together, like a sandwich, flat surface to flat surface, making one complete lens between them (this was done for the big objective lenses at the front). The clear adhesive that they used to fuse the lenses together CAN start separating. You'll be able to tell really easily, if you see a yellow-green staining on the glass. That's because the adhesive is breaking down and the glass is pulling apart. Depending on how bad it is, I believe it can be repaired (you heat the glass up, pull the lenses apart, clean them and then re-glue them back together using the same type of adhesive), but it's best to avoid it in the first place.
Hi Amie, No, sorry. Not a company I'm familiar with. But Paris had loads of opera-glasses & optics manufacturers, all established in the 1800s, to cater to the upscale theatrical trade.
Hey A.F. The trifocal binoculars seem to be among the rarest that I have. I've never seen another set come up on eBay, or anything else. And most of the ones which I HAVE seen are usually in AWFUL condition. Cracked, broken, smashed up...God knows why, because I'm sure they weren't cheap when they were new...but nowadays, because there's so many broken ones out there, the good ones command pretty high prices for what they are.
@@shahancheong9792 Ok just found some, the leather is missing but they work. Not sure if the are supposed to have pull out sun shades on the ends of the glass, if so then they are missing. But otherwise intact. Very brassy not much paint left.
@@avianfish8732 I've never seen a trifocal set with sun-shades. They MIGHT exist, but I've never seen any. Usually, the slide-out sun-shades are for binoculars or telescopes meant to be used outdoors or at sea, when looking in the direction of the sun required shielding the lenses to prevent glare.
@@shahancheong9792 They have a marine setting, They are Abraham Co. Liverpool. The lettering is engraved rather than raised, so they might be early ones. The little brass switch has a bee symbol on it and a serial number 3349.
@@shahancheong9792 I actually have two. One has a focus wheel that turns and changes the focus of the binoculars, but it is very stiff. The other pair has a focus wheel that turns freely, but doesn't move the lenses in or out as it should. Thank you in advance for your input!
@@alidaodonovan4008 Oh! That sucks. For the stiff one, best thing is lubrication. Unscrew the bolt/screw that holds the glasses together, pull them apart, and lubricate the shaft that slides in and out (use sewing machine oil, but lubricate SPARINGLY - 1 or 2 drops should be more than enough). Reassemble and wiggle in and out a few times to distribute the oil. You may have to do this a few times - if any black or brown gunky oil comes up - which it might - wipe it away with tissues, and reapply fresh oil - the gunk is what's jamming the mechanism - so the more of that you can flush out - the easier it'll operate. Once it's all removed, apply fresh oil and reassemble. The second one - check that the screw or nut holding the opera glasses together is nice and tight - if it isn't, then turning the focus wheel won't do anything, because there's nothing for it to grab onto. Hopefully that works.
I have a pair of enamel opera glasses I want to sell. Can you give me your email so I can send you photos. I am not sure where to sell these in Texas or what they are worth.
Thanks for this!!! LOVE THEM and thrilled to see them!! You have a wonderful collection. I am now a huge fan of your channel.
Subscribe. I post a new video on average every 3-4 weeks.
Just bought a pair off of Amazon Today can’t wait to get it in 3 days!
Hi, that was really interesting- we’d never heard of these before and we have some mother of Pearl ones made by Ludolph Bremenhaven (GmbH) which may have been purchased by German family around 100 years ago.... Would you know how we research the history of them - we’re not finding anything online beyond contacting the company. Thank you and hope you don’t mind me picking your brains!
I Have a pair of mother of pearl Marchand and I would like help putting them back together !!!! I did not take a photo before cleaning the lens. !!!
I just got a pair of the ones with handles , mother of pearl style but the handle doesn’t extend at all, it’s very short, is that fixable or is that just the way it is? Thanks! 😊
The handle should extend at least one full length. If it isn't, it's probably jammed from age.
Try putting a bit of oil into it and see what happens.
If you are buying on ebay, do you worry about the optics? Anything to check to make sure the optics are in good shape?
You have to check for things like scratches and chips. The biggest pain in the ass is checking for LENS SEPARATION.
How they used to make lenses is that they'd cut two separate lenses, and then fuse them together, like a sandwich, flat surface to flat surface, making one complete lens between them (this was done for the big objective lenses at the front).
The clear adhesive that they used to fuse the lenses together CAN start separating. You'll be able to tell really easily, if you see a yellow-green staining on the glass. That's because the adhesive is breaking down and the glass is pulling apart.
Depending on how bad it is, I believe it can be repaired (you heat the glass up, pull the lenses apart, clean them and then re-glue them back together using the same type of adhesive), but it's best to avoid it in the first place.
Shahan cheong,, I have 1 pair of vintage flammarion binocular I am looking for a buyer..
Do you know anything about Verna (Paris) opera glasses? I can find nothing about the company...thanks
Hi Amie,
No, sorry. Not a company I'm familiar with. But Paris had loads of opera-glasses & optics manufacturers, all established in the 1800s, to cater to the upscale theatrical trade.
Thanks how do you value the black tri focals? Thanks D
Hey A.F.
The trifocal binoculars seem to be among the rarest that I have. I've never seen another set come up on eBay, or anything else. And most of the ones which I HAVE seen are usually in AWFUL condition. Cracked, broken, smashed up...God knows why, because I'm sure they weren't cheap when they were new...but nowadays, because there's so many broken ones out there, the good ones command pretty high prices for what they are.
@@shahancheong9792 Ok just found some, the leather is missing but they work. Not sure if the are supposed to have pull out sun shades on the ends of the glass, if so then they are missing. But otherwise intact. Very brassy not much paint left.
@@avianfish8732 I've never seen a trifocal set with sun-shades. They MIGHT exist, but I've never seen any. Usually, the slide-out sun-shades are for binoculars or telescopes meant to be used outdoors or at sea, when looking in the direction of the sun required shielding the lenses to prevent glare.
@@shahancheong9792 They have a marine setting, They are Abraham Co. Liverpool. The lettering is engraved rather than raised, so they might be early ones. The little brass switch has a bee symbol on it and a serial number 3349.
@@avianfish8732 the bumblebee is the logo for LeMaire, a French manufacturer of opera glasses & binoculars.
I have a pair of abalone opera glasses, but the mechanism doesn't seem to work. Do you know if I can repair (or oil) them? Thank you!
"doesn't work" could mean a lot of things. How exactly does it not work? What's wrong with them?
@@shahancheong9792 I actually have two. One has a focus wheel that turns and changes the focus of the binoculars, but it is very stiff. The other pair has a focus wheel that turns freely, but doesn't move the lenses in or out as it should. Thank you in advance for your input!
@@alidaodonovan4008 Oh! That sucks.
For the stiff one, best thing is lubrication. Unscrew the bolt/screw that holds the glasses together, pull them apart, and lubricate the shaft that slides in and out (use sewing machine oil, but lubricate SPARINGLY - 1 or 2 drops should be more than enough).
Reassemble and wiggle in and out a few times to distribute the oil. You may have to do this a few times - if any black or brown gunky oil comes up - which it might - wipe it away with tissues, and reapply fresh oil - the gunk is what's jamming the mechanism - so the more of that you can flush out - the easier it'll operate. Once it's all removed, apply fresh oil and reassemble.
The second one - check that the screw or nut holding the opera glasses together is nice and tight - if it isn't, then turning the focus wheel won't do anything, because there's nothing for it to grab onto. Hopefully that works.
Would you consider sell one to me?
The yellow pair with the handle, are for sale on eBay right now.
You can find it here in my eBay profile:
www.ebay.com.au/usr/scocheongs
@@shahancheong9792 Time to spend my Reais!!! $$$$
@@fabricioazevedo2361 I've got a few of them for sale on my eBay. Go check 'em out. Just search 'opera glasses' on my profile.
Fabricio Acevedo,, I have 1 pair if you want to sell this to you.😊
I have a pair of enamel opera glasses I want to sell. Can you give me your email so I can send you photos. I am not sure where to sell these in Texas or what they are worth.
Hey Sabrina. There's an email address listed in my blog. You can send the photos there.
I have also 1 pear of opera glasses flammarion mother pearl I wnt to sell
@@freddiegarcira5102 I don't buy the glasses I want to see mine!!!
@@freddiegarcira5102 not understanding what you mean by this. Do you want to buy my glasses or not?
Can I have one pls
You can get a pair off of amazon