I have had exceptionally good fortune recently with collection targets, acquiring 2 of my most wanted within just a few days of each other.
Romeo 1 Plasma:
First, I had 2 separate leads for R1 Plasmas land in my lap. This was at the same time as a handful of buying posts for them appeared on the exchange and none seemed to be on the market, so having ready access to 2 was just bizarre. One of them was from Australian OF member @Jase_nz from whom I had already purchased an R1 Titanium a few weeks ago. He decided to sell his Plasma as well and offered me right of first refusal at an excellent price...I certainly did not refuse. The Linegear matte black lenses work very nicely, the entire thing looks silky and smooth.
C Wire 1.0 Emerald Iridium:
As rare and highly coveted as R1 Plasma is, this second item appears on the market far less often these days. Anyone who enjoys or knows about the C Wire 1.0 is probably aware that one colorway stands above the rest...the Titanium / Emerald Iridium Polarized. These retailed for $315 back in 2000-2004, which is around the same as the Juliets being sold at that time (slightly more than a few colorways actually). Due to several factors including the high initial price tag, lower popularity relative to comparably priced X Metals, and fragility of the thin wire frames, not many of these are around in 2025. From what I understand, many collectors never see one of these for sale at all...
So imagine my surprise when I opened an eBay email notification for my "Oakley c wire" search and saw this listing as the 4th newly listed item. I thought it surely must have been incorrectly identified like so many listings for wire models...but it was truly the thing itself, an actual wild unicorn. Photos looked OK, the right lens had some marks but it seemed almost pristine otherwise. What's more, the $225 price was a lot more reasonable than I imagined. If one of the big Oakley dealers like Trixie or that chilipepper guy had these listed, I guarantee it would be for $750-1000. There were only 3 watchers, so not too many had seen it yet, but it was still early on a Sunday morning, so there would be a lot more traffic soon. Considered negotiating down to see what I could get, but I didn't want to risk having someone else snap it up. Would have sucked to lose out on a grail trying to quibble over 25-50 bucks.
It doesn't look as glorious in photos as it really is, but it's a real treasure:
Tbe listing talks about it a little, but it seems that the previous owner really loved these and wanted them to go to someone who would care for them. The listing says he bought one of these when they were first released and decided he never wanted to wear anything else...so he went through at least 3 pairs, and this is the 4th. In any case, it is clear that these were someone's treasure, which is also evidenced by the packaging...
He packed it in a microfiber bag wrapped in a large plastic shopping bag, then put that inside a small box on a bed of packing pockets (the air-filled plastic things). Another packing pocket thing on top, then sealed that box. THEN, the smaller box was placed inside a slightly larger box on top of a bed of semi-rigid packing foam (like one might find in electronics packaging). More packing foam on all sides, including on top, then sealed the outer box and wrapped the entire thing in packing tape. Sounds really secure, right? Not good enough though. THAT arrangement was inside a THIRD slightly larger box on top of a bed of more packing foam, even more packing foam on all sides, then sealed and wrapped in packing tape. Fortunately, the Russian doll packaging ended with box #3. Highly effective at preventing damage, but dear god...overkill. There was also a handwritten note in the smallest Russian doll mentioning how much he had loved these glasses and that he's happy they are with someone who appreciates them. Very nice indeed.
Definitely a good week for collecting, not sure how I can top it.
Thanks for reading, hope someone enjoyed this...spent way too long writing it up.
If you did actually read, please leave a comment, perhaps an anecdote about an interaction you had with a seller or a bizarrely packaged item.
Adam
Romeo 1 Plasma:
First, I had 2 separate leads for R1 Plasmas land in my lap. This was at the same time as a handful of buying posts for them appeared on the exchange and none seemed to be on the market, so having ready access to 2 was just bizarre. One of them was from Australian OF member @Jase_nz from whom I had already purchased an R1 Titanium a few weeks ago. He decided to sell his Plasma as well and offered me right of first refusal at an excellent price...I certainly did not refuse. The Linegear matte black lenses work very nicely, the entire thing looks silky and smooth.
C Wire 1.0 Emerald Iridium:
As rare and highly coveted as R1 Plasma is, this second item appears on the market far less often these days. Anyone who enjoys or knows about the C Wire 1.0 is probably aware that one colorway stands above the rest...the Titanium / Emerald Iridium Polarized. These retailed for $315 back in 2000-2004, which is around the same as the Juliets being sold at that time (slightly more than a few colorways actually). Due to several factors including the high initial price tag, lower popularity relative to comparably priced X Metals, and fragility of the thin wire frames, not many of these are around in 2025. From what I understand, many collectors never see one of these for sale at all...
So imagine my surprise when I opened an eBay email notification for my "Oakley c wire" search and saw this listing as the 4th newly listed item. I thought it surely must have been incorrectly identified like so many listings for wire models...but it was truly the thing itself, an actual wild unicorn. Photos looked OK, the right lens had some marks but it seemed almost pristine otherwise. What's more, the $225 price was a lot more reasonable than I imagined. If one of the big Oakley dealers like Trixie or that chilipepper guy had these listed, I guarantee it would be for $750-1000. There were only 3 watchers, so not too many had seen it yet, but it was still early on a Sunday morning, so there would be a lot more traffic soon. Considered negotiating down to see what I could get, but I didn't want to risk having someone else snap it up. Would have sucked to lose out on a grail trying to quibble over 25-50 bucks.
It doesn't look as glorious in photos as it really is, but it's a real treasure:
Tbe listing talks about it a little, but it seems that the previous owner really loved these and wanted them to go to someone who would care for them. The listing says he bought one of these when they were first released and decided he never wanted to wear anything else...so he went through at least 3 pairs, and this is the 4th. In any case, it is clear that these were someone's treasure, which is also evidenced by the packaging...
He packed it in a microfiber bag wrapped in a large plastic shopping bag, then put that inside a small box on a bed of packing pockets (the air-filled plastic things). Another packing pocket thing on top, then sealed that box. THEN, the smaller box was placed inside a slightly larger box on top of a bed of semi-rigid packing foam (like one might find in electronics packaging). More packing foam on all sides, including on top, then sealed the outer box and wrapped the entire thing in packing tape. Sounds really secure, right? Not good enough though. THAT arrangement was inside a THIRD slightly larger box on top of a bed of more packing foam, even more packing foam on all sides, then sealed and wrapped in packing tape. Fortunately, the Russian doll packaging ended with box #3. Highly effective at preventing damage, but dear god...overkill. There was also a handwritten note in the smallest Russian doll mentioning how much he had loved these glasses and that he's happy they are with someone who appreciates them. Very nice indeed.
Definitely a good week for collecting, not sure how I can top it.
Thanks for reading, hope someone enjoyed this...spent way too long writing it up.
If you did actually read, please leave a comment, perhaps an anecdote about an interaction you had with a seller or a bizarrely packaged item.Adam
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