Gandhi’s spectacles sold for the price of a home at an auction, but it’s not the first time simple glasses worn by men have fetched eye-watering amounts.
The Indian leader’s glasses sold at an auction in the UK for £260,000 four years ago.
There seems to be no limit to what collectors are willing to pay – even if the glasses were worn by serial killers.
It seems the more controversial the owner, the more money one pair of eyewear will fetch, such as in the case of murderer Ted Bundy.
Even Hitler’s glasses have been sold before for a hefty amount of money.
Metro.co.uk takes a dive into some of the most expensive pairs of glasses ever sold.
The Beatles legend is an icon of music, but he also made round spectacles look cool.
Famously, the musician had poor eyesight and he relied on a selection of round glasses, which he wore after being inspired by 20th-century intellectuals.
And someone really wanted one pair of his glasses as they sold for £137,000 at an auction five years ago.
The murderer is responsible for the death of at least 36 people, but that didn’t stop a buyer from splurging on one of his personal items.
Dubiously, Bundy attracted many fans because of his perceived good looks like Jeffrey Dahmer, and his crimes earned him the disturbing nickname The Lady Killer.
Ghost Adventures star Zak Bagans made headlines after becoming the highest bidder for a pair of glasses the serial killer used to try evade the police.
Bagans owns a Haunted Museum in Las Vegas, so bidding for Bundy’s glasses wasn’t totally out of the ordinary.
He paid $50,000 (£38,194) for the disguise glasses.
The evil dictator had a very distinct style throughout his time as the leader of Nazi German.
Hitler is known for his mustache, but he secretly wore glasses. There are thought to be no pictures of Hitler with his spectacles.
Last time the glasses went under the hammer they were expected to fetch £5,000, sold along with other memorabilia like a silver cigarette case and a £20,000 gold and emerald badge bearing the swastika.
The wartime Prime Minister’s glasses were more than a trendy accessory.
Churchill reportedly suffered from poor eyesight and he relied on the glasses to lead the nation during difficult times in World War II.
When it came to glasses, Churchill was faithful to the family maker C.W.Dixey & Sons.
They made spectacles for the likes of Queen Victoria and James Bond author Ian Fleming, according to The Telegraph.
A pair of Churchill’s 1954 glasses were acquired by Paul Fraser Collectibles who valued them at around $40,580 (£34,294).
Eagle-eyed collectors are also after the glasses belonging to the American Civil War President.
A pair of his specs were found in a suitcase in the attic by his great grandson Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, the American rare items dealer Paul Fraser Collectibles said.
They sold for $84,422 in 2013 at Nate D Sanders auctioneers, while another pair went for auction later at an estimated price of $15,000.
The French Impressionist painter created some of the most vibrant and detailed works of his era.
He also wore glasses during his life at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Not a lot is known about the faith of his bespoke spectacles, but they failed to meet their reserve at Heritage Auctions in 2013, Paul Fraser Collectibles said.
The English comedian was a staple of British TV from the early 1960s to the late 1980s, best known for The Benny Hill Show which made him famous in the US too.
His glasses used in the 1973 sketch titled The Deputy and set in the Wild West sold at C&T Auctioneers in 2014.
The estimated selling price was tipped at £600, according to the Express.
The singer-songwriter of the 1950s became known for his pioneering rock and roll music as well as his glasses.
His life was tragically cut short at the age of 22 when he died in a plane crash with musicians Ritchie Valens and ‘The Big Bopper’ J.P. Richardson.
Their death was immortalised in the Don McLean song ‘American Pie’ and it became known as the ‘The Day the Music Died.’
Holly was recognisable with his thick framed black glasses.
The pair he wore when he died on February 3, 1959 were discovered in a sheriff’s office in Iowa in 1994 and given to his widow, Paul Fraser Collectibles said.
She sold them for $80,000 in 1998 to a non-profit organisation who donated them to museum in Holly’s hometown Lubbock, Texas, the dealer’s website said.
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