looking at all the different frames and lenses currently available, what do you think could be the collectable/in demand oakleys of the future....

as collectors today, alot of us for example are now pining for pairs such as the zero 0.3, vintage mumbos, gen 1 juliets,OTT etc, which 20 years ago were easily available.

so what do you think will be the pairs that everyone will be pining for in another 20 years?

from my point of view, i still think the original vintage pairs will be in even more demand, demonstrated by the fact oakley have in recent years re-released pairs such as the razor blades and the limited issue eyeshades-any other thoughts?

I have a feeling that Jawbones will be up there. Zeros, Mumbos, Goggles, grips, facemasks, etc were all performance-related eyewear and accessories, and they're all pretty rare, since most were worn for the purpose designed. As for OTTs, well, the OTT was so outlandish that not many people could justify the price, as such, there are few left to go around.
The Ruby Juliet was another animal. I can't remember Ruby being around on any glasses before that. I have a feeling that consumers were slow to adopt the new lens option. For example, OO Polarized lenses. Most of use are not willing to pay the premium price for a pair of glasses until we have a knowledge of what we're paying for. A new lens, coupled with the fairly new line of X-metal, added together equal $400+ worth of "untested" technology. Why would the average consumer drop that kind of cash when every other Oakley ever had never been more than $150? They just weren't bought, and that's why there are so few now. Oakley destroys product that has sat on shelves for too long.

The other factor is that they were released in 1999, a time when most of us weren't using the internet, and I doubt very much that the Oakley website, if there was one, had the interactivity it does now. Would you drop $400 on a picture? I was still getting mail-order catalogs for my Oakleys, and I was only aware of new releases if they were at the Sunglass Hut in my local mall. We didn't know about them, also because they were so limited, most stores didn't get them.

Anyway, the Jawbone has my vote, since it seems to be a frame that we all enjoy using, but not too many people are actually buying...

I can tell you what it won't be. You won't see people tracking down Antix,Hijinx,Gascans, Fuel Cells...etc. Unless a specific version (i.e. one important artist), I can't see these gaining the type of long term fame the Sub Zeros did.

If I had to vote...I'm thinking something we may have pushed aside way too early. Think Montefrio, EyePatch...maybe even Dispatch. They're not big sellers and were kicked to the curb early. EP's are some of my favorites...but I know they're not well loved because of the huge size.

The collectable item will be the one thing not listed here, because it will go unnoticed and then everyone will want it down the road after it can't be found anymore.

Prophetic my boy...prophetic.

In the long run, once Lux finally gets Oakley production to China, as I expect will eventually happen, anything bearing the "made in U.S.A." tag will become sought after as it will have the quality we expect from the Oakley brand. (Think arnette...)

What, you mean as opposed to cheap mass produced shi*e, on an as yet unforseen scale......................

I think anything we find cool today will be the collectible of tomorrow. Stuff that stands apart from the rest like the STPL Eyeshade, Blends Frogskin, perhaps even the BMX Jawbone will be looked upon as being truly unique and a "must have". A lot of other stuff will have their own level of collectibility, but with the amount of stuff Oakley puts out, most will simply be fodder.

Black Gascan with Grey lens.

Totally.


~Yukio

I complained that the most common pieces are the ones that no one can find anymore. I wouldn't doubt that the White Gascan will be up there...

I think a lot of the things we enjoy seeking out now, like OTT and whatnot, will just solidify their collectible status in the future. It's hard to tell what sort of sleeper hit we will find in the slew of new releases. I think there will be a handful of artist/limited releases that will go down as highly collectible over time.

Bob. I agree with everything but... Bob.

I still believe the display stuff will be worth more than the general collections. Just a thought.

Apparently umbrellas are collectible. Go figure.

i have a feeling the holbrooks are gonna be sought after like the frogskins

i have a feeling the holbrooks are gonna be sought after like the frogskins

I wouldn't go that far...unless you go faaaaar into the future. They're just a spinoff from Froggies IMHO, so I think Froggies will remain the main desire. That's not to say that the limited Holbrooks aren't going to gain a following. I mean, I love the frame, it's nice and clean.

I pretty much agree with Dann.

I think that the most collectible stuff usually turns out to be the glasses that were almost entirely bought to be used and had no perceived collectible value at the time of original purchase. That way, fewer were made (demand wasn't artificially boosted by collectors) and most of the glasses purchased were eventually bent, scratched, dented, chewed by dogs and no longer exist in good condition. So whatever survived in good shape should end up being considered pretty rare.

China - almost all of Asia outside of Japan - seems to be on the rise to great economic wealth and power and, if the brand really gains staying power in China, Korea, etc. then the sleeper collectibles in the existing Oakley oeuvre could be the early Asian Fit models. Early Japan exclusives could become very much in demand. Who knows.

Apart from that, early titanium versions of glasses that were also available in alloy could become quite sought-after. Early T-Wires, Early Titanium C-Wires. I could be wrong about this, but I don't think these models exist in large numbers at all. Titanium Crosshairs should do ok.

But then again, no one knows what the future holds. Least of all me. Dann's right. The collectible of the future is sitting right there on the shelf in front of us. Tomorrow, it'll be gone, and we won't miss it. Then, five years from now, we'll be like, "Why didn't I get one of those?"