President Cleveland’s pince-nez eyeglasses, with +3.00 prescription lenses, featuring a flexible metal frame with yellowed rubber nosepieces, and an elegant loop on the side for a chain. Includes the original leather case gilt-stamped by the maker, Franklin & Co. Opticians of Washington, DC. Includes a letter of provenance from Raleigh DeGeer Amyx, in part: “Having been acquainted with the owner of Franklin Opticians for sometime, I was able to acquire the Pince Nez 3.00 RX glasses and case of Grover Cleveland, directly from the President’s drawer of Franklin’s Inc. In this old glasses drawer, there were RX glasses of several American Presidents. At one time the old Franklin Company displayed their Presidential collection in downtown Washington for anyone to view. They were proud that so many Presidents availed themselves of Franklin Company. Later, the Presidential RX glasses were safely tucked away in separate sections of an old opticians glasses drawer, befitting the back room of a working Optical Company.” Also accompanied by a typed statement on a Franklin & Co. business card certifying the authenticity of the pince-nez glasses as being those of President Cleveland. A highly personal and unusual presidential piece from the poor-sighted Cleveland, who humorously commented on a new pair of glasses in an 1883 letter, saying: ‘I rather hate to give up boasting about my good eyes, but you and I know we cannot always be young.’ In overall fine condition.
