Romeo Van Frogskinstein
I should Work at Oakley
So it all began on 16th July 1999 with my first pair, the Texas Tea/Gold Frogskin, since then collecting has essentially been relentless, resulting in a grand total of 1001 genuine authentic Oakley glasses, achieved on 5th August 2014. Here is a breakdown of the numbers acquired each year leading to the current standing:
1999 - 5
2000 - 4
2001 - 19
2002 - 21
2003 - 41
2004 - 21
2005 - 27
2006 - 39
2007 - 114
2008 - 142
2009 - 82
2010 - 109
2011 - 124
2012 - 127
2013 - 91
2014 - 35
After reaching a few hundred the idea of 1000 seemed so appealing, primarily due to that four figure number which being realistic, very few collectors will ever reach, and although there will be those that believe quality is more essential than quantity, and there is credence to that opinion, I sought to maximize quality within that collection, by always striving for the pieces to be complete, mint, and the boxes to be in the best possible condition, aiming always for boxes with all six sides pristine, no crumples or creases, immaculate. Strangely, at around 950 pairs the appeal of the grand lessened, and the desire to continue dropped, being replaced by thoughts of parting with many and no longer looking to achieve a long held goal. The reason I prevailed was down to Frogskins, the main bulk of the remaining crop resulting in the magic number. In fact, the last glass I captured that was not a Frogskin was the Osheaga Garage Rock in early December 2013, since then, 25 pairs of the gen 3 and all 14 LX Frogskins...nothing else. This leads to retirement in the main from collecting, planning now to continue with Frogskins only, and to keep active with looking for the final 3 production X Metals to form the complete set of those. The upshot is that over time I will let go of several hundred pairs, as well as copious other Oakley products that may appeal more to other collectors. If there are any specific glasses you are looking for then you can message me and I will see if I can help which may result in private transactions. I feel a certain 'release' from the need of having to collect every exclusive, limited edition, rarity, great looking pair etc, which results in the sentiment that you just can't keep up, and the sense of being unable to catch up and be 'up to date' with it all. A true collector of anything is in some ways a prisoner to his subject. In the end, all the X Metals will go, and maybe the Frogs thereafter, however the inherent collector in me maintains a firm grip with these for now.
1999 - 5
2000 - 4
2001 - 19
2002 - 21
2003 - 41
2004 - 21
2005 - 27
2006 - 39
2007 - 114
2008 - 142
2009 - 82
2010 - 109
2011 - 124
2012 - 127
2013 - 91
2014 - 35
After reaching a few hundred the idea of 1000 seemed so appealing, primarily due to that four figure number which being realistic, very few collectors will ever reach, and although there will be those that believe quality is more essential than quantity, and there is credence to that opinion, I sought to maximize quality within that collection, by always striving for the pieces to be complete, mint, and the boxes to be in the best possible condition, aiming always for boxes with all six sides pristine, no crumples or creases, immaculate. Strangely, at around 950 pairs the appeal of the grand lessened, and the desire to continue dropped, being replaced by thoughts of parting with many and no longer looking to achieve a long held goal. The reason I prevailed was down to Frogskins, the main bulk of the remaining crop resulting in the magic number. In fact, the last glass I captured that was not a Frogskin was the Osheaga Garage Rock in early December 2013, since then, 25 pairs of the gen 3 and all 14 LX Frogskins...nothing else. This leads to retirement in the main from collecting, planning now to continue with Frogskins only, and to keep active with looking for the final 3 production X Metals to form the complete set of those. The upshot is that over time I will let go of several hundred pairs, as well as copious other Oakley products that may appeal more to other collectors. If there are any specific glasses you are looking for then you can message me and I will see if I can help which may result in private transactions. I feel a certain 'release' from the need of having to collect every exclusive, limited edition, rarity, great looking pair etc, which results in the sentiment that you just can't keep up, and the sense of being unable to catch up and be 'up to date' with it all. A true collector of anything is in some ways a prisoner to his subject. In the end, all the X Metals will go, and maybe the Frogs thereafter, however the inherent collector in me maintains a firm grip with these for now.
