Chinese Leather Monocle Case

A fat, round box in speckled green with a button-like knob on its lid.

This shagreen monocle case is from China, and dates to the 20th century. The monocle, a single corrective lens worn in front of one eye, was a fashionable accessory in Europe in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A low, rounded box with a domed lid, covered all over in tiny pale pebbled dots set in dark green. A small round knob sits off-center on top, and a tiny hole pierces the side near the rim. It is 0.75 inches high and 2.75 in diameter.

Handsomely dotted from head to toe, with no gaps.