Started downsizing earlier this year.
Ideally, I would love to be able to fit everything in one cabinet. But I know I won't have the heart to sell enough items to reach that goal.
So, I'm just selling "opportunistically", when I can get a good prive on something I don't mind selling.

Still working on building the new collection but as before it’s all vintage. Clear and early black box models.

Once I’ve got one complete pair of each model I’m done. Then I’ll just keep my eye out for unusual pieces of prototypes.

I'm just still trying to build and display the collection. As I always say, I'm so far behind on my list it's kinda sad. LOL. So the fact that some of you have reached the or a pinnacle in your collection or in your collecting "career" so much so that you are downsizing has me thinking... "Gosh darn, I stink at this O collecting thing." Ha Ha!

I'm slowly bringing mine down. I'd like to have just one double wide with my key pairs/watches that I actually do wear. With DST here, I'm able to wear a different pair each day (night shifter), but sometimes it's unnecessary. I have many that I've grown out of and would prefer another collector to enjoy rather than just being a tower queen collecting dust. I can see myself cutting my collection in half. I'll never leave, though. ;)

This thread brings to mind how I felt about my first “fast” car. Every time I walked up to it, this thing made me smile ear to ear. Sometimes I would even giggle a little. Happened for years lol. That’s how I believe anything I collect should make me feel; a little giddy every time I see it. Another motivation is that what might be easily available today may not be in the near future, so I try not to hesitate much once I know I want something.

I kind of wish I had started collecting Oakley’s before cigars and whisky; I would have caught the tail end of my current favorites in stores and vaults! In any event, having gone through the “phases of collecting” prior, I was able to avoid the pitfalls this time around. The fervor in the beginning to buy anything, in any condition, just because it’s cheap. Getting duped by fakes. Not buying rare pieces when the opportunity presented itself.

I can’t say I have any sort of plan for my collection at the moment, other than buying the best possible examples of whatever I decide to go after. A lot of the older O-matter doesn’t really do it for me, so I only end up hunting for the limited edition stuff that catches my eye. Unfortunately, most X-Metals catch my eye; but fortunately, opportunities to buy them seem to pop up regularly.

Some of the recent production I find personally interesting, like the Shibuya releases and Clifdens, and it’s a boon that they’re easy to get on sale. Maybe if I had started much earlier, I would have gone the “one of each” approach, but I can’t see that happening now. Maybe my motivations will change in the future, like if they re-release the X-Metal line; but for now I feel satisfied.

Good writeup. I often wonder how I would approach collecting if I were to have just began. My last big haul was in 2019 and that was simply due to an opportunity. I didn't even buy my annual 'daily' pair that I like to swap out last year...or this year now that I think about it.

Is the slowness due to the fact that I have what I want, the fact that less interests me, or the fact that anything older would cost way too much. I suppose a lot would come down to nostalgia and the version of my two decades ago when I was in a much different space. Like old movies and games, the unconnected things that surround them tend to have more of an influence than they would in a vacuum.

Great that you were able to avoid the pitfalls going in. I think you outlined some of the hey things like buying anything and everything. I know I ended up with a lot of filler, however as the hobby matured around me, I was able to part with it for more and then backfill with better items.

Your filler was probably much better than what current filler would look like lol. Complete pairs from parking lot and vault sales; great trading fodder!