I am a little bit disappointed in the comments that I am hearing in this tread. I think people just want the prices to be low because they love the product so much. Typical O Review : )

To be “frank”…. Some of u are in complete denial. Let me be a reminder that commodities are based on supply and demand, and demand is only going to go up. You can’t replace product lines that are completely “dead” and sunglasses are a perishable item…ie people use them. With the falling US market and emerging world economies, new collectors are being introduced every day, and they are unaware that people even collect. These massive numbers contrast what is being said on here and represent a large portion of buyers.

Another thing is that prices have NOT really change toooooo much since the beginning of the collectors market. Add in inflation, decreasing number of desired glasses , new consumers, and you get this thread. Oh, many collectors are not just on O-Review as well, I think this is being a little egocentric, especially since many collections confine themselves to a certain category that they find attractive.

Another point is that this is not comic books, baseball cards, or beanie babies, those thing went main stream. This is relatively small market that is based on expression. Can you really say that nobody would want to pay double for a mint pair of Mar Leather rap, keep in mind that these were very very expensive in the first place. My own opinion is that they should be worth 3-4 times their original value because of the reasons I stated above.

I collect artwork….Why? Because of rarity and beauty; you cannot deny the beauty that a collection brings to a fixture in your home. I believe if more people were aware of this the market would only grow Yes! there is a lot of room to grow.
Oh.... The economy sucks and people are still paying very expensive prices, imagine if people had more money to spend, but what do I know…. I am just a small collector.

Can I ask the person who started this thread what made them want to discuss unopened packages? Was it a ebay Auction? I think I might know....

No, it wasn’t an eBay auction, though the existence of a recent one did remind me of this thread. The thread was created a long while ago because of the trend with other collectibles. I’ve followed the ups and downs of many collectibles, and it was interesting to see organized Oakley collecting (which was/is in its infancy) following the path of much more mature hobbies from boom to bust, from naturally occurring demand to artificially created demand and back.

Its got to be the ruby Juliets auction, Its always the ruby Juliets..lol

There's some truth to that. The Ruby Juliet did kick off the last boom cycle.

Refound this thread. It's surprising the turn Oakley collecting has taken over the last few years. In no other hobby I have experience with has fakes been so accepted as with Oakley collecting. I mean, trophies are being replicated, Shadowheads are being recasted, resin RX/Spike Bob heads are made and artfully painted, replica lenses and unobtainium are rampant (so called 'third party'), I've seen replica countertops....and all these are being bought/sold for decent amounts. Have we gone crazy? This blossoming acceptance of fakes really is concerning and takes the fun out of collecting, IMO.

What are your opinions on this?

Oakley collecting has now encountered certain cultures in which "copyright" indicates a right to copy.

this is the fruit of our own passion. wanting to get what is unique and limited, hence, demanding prices going up and even people trying to make money out of the market created. In the end, it is up to us whether to buy or not depending on our preference.

I'll just start by saying what has been said time and again on this topic, and it should be the motto of collecting, as well as anytime something seems too good to be true: Caveat Emptor...let the buyer beware. Most of us have, at one point or another, fallen victim to an unscrupulous seller.

That being said, the Shadow Bob Head, is, in my opinion, one of the most iconic (pardon the pun) and recognizable items from what many would call Oakley's heyday. For them to be reproduced is acceptable to me, especially since I know how fragile they are, and I can only guess how low of a percentage of the originals are still around. It's acceptable, that is, just so long as they are sold and bought as such. It should be clearly explained that it is not an original piece. That being said, I have two of the originals, and both arrived shattered due to poor packing from the store that transferred them. Fortunately, they were in two separate boxes, so I was able to know which parts went to which Bob. I have painstakingly rebuilt and repaired them, and you'd never guess that they were damaged unless you look inside them, but if I were to decide to part with them I would clearly explain that they were damaged and repaired. It's called being an honest seller.

As a side note, I have no earthly idea why they were made of plaster and not blow molded in plastic, but I digress.

The spike head, or Crystal Bob, is another piece that is in high demand, and if someone has the skill and equipment to reproduce it, fine, but be honest about it. The paint jobs on a lot of them have been pretty badass, honestly.

The trophies are another thing entirely to me. When I worked for Oakley and they started handing them out at Retail Assault and Sales Meetings, those trophies were hand made, hand painted, etc, which made the achievement for which they were given that much more special. The athlete trophies were also hand made from what I understand. For the trophies to start being reproduced cheapens the achievement for which they were originally earned in my opinion. The fact that there are reproductions theoretically means that someone who earned one either made a mold themselves, or in one way or another turned it over to someone who did, and that's just not cool.

I'll just start by saying what has been said time and again on this topic, and it should be the motto of collecting, as well as anytime something seems too good to be true: Caveat Emptor...let the buyer beware. Most of us have, at one point or another, fallen victim to an unscrupulous seller.

That being said, the Shadow Bob Head, is, in my opinion, one of the most iconic (pardon the pun) and recognizable items from what many would call Oakley's heyday. For them to be reproduced is acceptable to me, especially since I know how fragile they are, and I can only guess how low of a percentage of the originals are still around. It's acceptable, that is, just so long as they are sold and bought as such. It should be clearly explained that it is not an original piece. That being said, I have two of the originals, and both arrived shattered due to poor packing from the store that transferred them. Fortunately, they were in two separate boxes, so I was able to know which parts went to which Bob. I have painstakingly rebuilt and repaired them, and you'd never guess that they were damaged unless you look inside them, but if I were to decide to part with them I would clearly explain that they were damaged and repaired. It's called being an honest seller.

As a side note, I have no earthly idea why they were made of plaster and not blow molded in plastic, but I digress.

The spike head, or Crystal Bob, is another piece that is in high demand, and if someone has the skill and equipment to reproduce it, fine, but be honest about it. The paint jobs on a lot of them have been pretty badass, honestly.

The trophies are another thing entirely to me. When I worked for Oakley and they started handing them out at Retail Assault and Sales Meetings, those trophies were hand made, hand painted, etc, which made the achievement for which they were given that much more special. The athlete trophies were also hand made from what I understand. For the trophies to start being reproduced cheapens the achievement for which they were originally earned in my opinion. The fact that there are reproductions theoretically means that someone who earned one either made a mold themselves, or in one way or another turned it over to someone who did, and that's just not cool. - defiant00

Agreed entirely!

Unfortunately a lot of these sellers aren't as honest as you'd expect them to be. It's also unfortunate that replicas are so readily accepted by the Oakley collecting community. Call me old fashion, but a collector wouldn't want non-authentic items in their collection no matter what it is. That said, there are a lot of cool Oakley items a lot of collectors want and don't care whether it's real or not. For myself, however, I've moved to the point where replicas aren't a consideration since they degrade the collection; only the real deal for me.

I agree in principle. I suppose in my case, I just see Oakley products as the primary collection and shelf decorations or stands are secondary. If I had a genuine trophy or some not-for-sale item, then it would be on a pedestal with all the glasses bowing down around it in honor. But my few items that are recasts didn't cost me more than shipping, so they are in essence just cool looking props. Though even with a real one, I wouldn't have done anything to truly earn it, so that might be somewhat hollow as well.

Some of you may remember my early display photos, and they were PACKED with odds and ends, but 10 years does a lot to a person, so I prefer clean anyway.

Unfortunately a lot of these sellers aren't as honest as you'd expect them to be. It's also unfortunate that replicas are so readily accepted by the Oakley collecting community. Call me old fashion, but a collector wouldn't want non-authentic items in their collection no matter what it is. That said, there are a lot of cool Oakley items a lot of collectors want and don't care whether it's real or not. For myself, however, I've moved to the point where replicas aren't a consideration since they degrade the collection; only the real deal for me. - Oak

I agree 1000% and include such things as trophies and shelf stands etc. as Oakley products themselves.

In principle what is the diff in recasting a trophy etc and a pair of glasses, if deception is at the root of it all.

I hate fakes and would not want anything fake in my collection. I think putting non oakley lenses in oakleys is the very definition of insanity specially with people able to chop lenses out of authentic ones. having said that if in ten years i want to wear some juliets and my earsocks have gone all sticky then i would consider "3rd party" (if i couldnt find real ones)

the trophies are tricky. as most of us would never be able to get a real one then i would consider having a re-cast of one of the cool ones but would not want to pay more than 100 bucks for it!