New Year's glasses

New Year's glasses are novelty eyeglasses in the numerical shape of the coming year usually worn during New Year's Eve parties.[1] They were invented and patented[2] by Richard Sclafani and Peter Cicero in 1990, although other companies have produced similar versions.[3] New Year's glasses' inspiration and popularity arose from the fact that the two digits in the middle of the year number (9 and 0 from the years 1990-2009) had holes suitable for looking through or mounting lenses into.[4]

U.S. soldiers wearing New Year's glasses for 2009.

Availability

New Year's Glasses are often sold at New Year's Eve events and parties. Street vendors in NYC are known to sell the glasses with extremely high markups. In 2015, the average cost of glasses in Times Square was upwards of $25.

Safety

New Year's glasses can restrict vision due to the large frame. The large frame can also cause discomfort.

References

Lawson, Richard. "The Sad Ending of the 200_ New Year's Glasses". Gawker.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
Barkai, R. "Novelty eyeglass frames Richard E. Sclafani et al". Google Patents. United States Patent Office. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
Lacitis, Erik. "As 2008 closes, so does business for those year-end glasses". Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Archived from the original on 17 January 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
Lefkowitz, Melanie. "Glasses for New Year's Eve Parties - 2011 Still Works". Stylist. The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 21 March 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2012.

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[1] Lawson, Richard. "The Sad Ending of the 200_ New Year's Glasses". Gawker.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2012.

[2] Barkai, R. "Novelty eyeglass frames Richard E. Sclafani et al". Google Patents. United States Patent Office. Retrieved 22 February 2012.

[3] Lacitis, Erik. "As 2008 closes, so does business for those year-end glasses". Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Archived from the original on 17 January 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2012.

[4] Lefkowitz, Melanie. "Glasses for New Year's Eve Parties - 2011 Still Works". Stylist. The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 21 March 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2012.