Oakley Frogskins Collector
If you're like us and enjoy freaking the Frogskins, you're about to lose your bananas over collector James Jarrett. After scouring eBay for the latest Frog drops, we stumbled onto a killer collection with an asking price of $38,000. Why so steep you ask? One look at this crate of frames and you'll understand why he's asking for the big kahunas. A complete set of Supreme kits, Kaws bangers, Joel Madden's personal pair plus the rarest Frogskin on the market - The Eastern Boarder 3D (limited to only six pairs in the world)! We had to hit up this Frogman and get the lowdown on just why he's selling such a corker of a collection.
Hey James... first up tell us a little about yourself and how you got into Frogskins!
It's funny to think about the first pair of Froggies I owned back in the day. It was 1993 I believe - a pair of black ones with black Iridium lenses. I lost that pair along with the three others I'd bought since then. I completely forgot about them until they were re-released in 2007 and therefore I had to have another pair ‘just for the fun of it'... things went crazy from there!
What is it about Frogskins that sets itself apart from all the other models from Oakley - I mean c'mon, the Blades and Razors were hella rad too?
The very first pair of Oakleys I ever wanted were the Razor Blades, but things didn't pan out quite as well as I hoped since I was still in high school and $100 was a lot of money then (still is if you ask me!) I have a full set of the re-released Razor Blades in the collection as well so I would have to agree with you.
Your collection is ridiculous. How many pairs exactly are there?
As of most recent count there are seventy-one pairs.
So why after amassing such a crazy collection are you selling them all off?
I really don't want to sell them to be honest. I have them primarily listed to showcase the collection. Money isn't my motivation so anyone thinking I am only in this to make a profit can forget about that. It's like a ‘virtual museum' and everyone can take peek at each pair individually. Since they are so incredibly popular, it would be unfair to hide them in a safe deposit box.
You say you have a few pairs from the ‘80s and ‘90s in the lot - what are the main differences in the Frogskin designs from back in the day to the ones available now?
There are very few differences between the vintage models and today's releases. I believe the plastic is probably stronger and more durable, but it is difficult to detect the differences between a day old pair and a fifteen-year old pair (with the exception of the Japanese made metal-hinged ones). The boxes are very similar, however the description on the back of the box is really the only difference.
Why are you adamant to sell them as a set rather than one by one... they'd probably sell a lot quicker seperately?
Once I sell that one rare pair individually, then there is no turning back on unloading the whole collection. To me, it's ‘all or nothing'. I would hope someone else could enjoy them as much as I do. Realistically only six full sets can be put out there since the lowest release number is the Eastern Boarder 3D model of which only 6 were made (Andrew Pettersons don't count since there are fifty unique pieces)
You state in your eBay description that you spent a massive amount of time scouring to collect each piece - give us some killer stories of the lengths you went to to get certain pairs...
Every rare piece caused me to think to myself, ‘I am ever going to get those' (along with a few choice words!), but somehow I got my hands on a pair. I would have to say that the second Eastern Boarder model was my greatest accomplishment since these were obtained by complete accident. A person contacted me because of a listing I had created to warn other sellers of scams abounding on the internet. He thanked me for this listing as he was previously unaware of this scam and it potentially saved him from losing a lot of money as a result. Incidentally, he asked if I was interested in a pair of the EB Frogskins and asked me to make him an offer. It was good chance that karma played a role in acquiring these, which worked out well since I had never seen a pair available before or since I bought them.
How the hell did you manage to get all seven Supreme sunnies? We're talking the first drop plus the metallic ones yeah?
These weren't that difficult at all. Remember, they dropped in 2007/2008 for less than $200 USD each, before Frogskins had gained the momentum and following they have today. Frogskins have snowballed in popularity and the phenomenon gets bigger with each passing season. I trust Oakley will keep the colorways coming!
And what's this about Joel Madden's personal pair? How did you wrangle those?
I purchased those from a charity organization called Auctioncause. I am a big believer in charity, and therefore support legitimate charity as often as I can. Getting my hands on a pair of celeb-worn shades was a bonus.
What's the one pair you're going to be sad to say goodbye to and why?
The Joel Maddens and Eastern Boarder editions. They will be likely irreplaceable anytime in the future.
You're selling for $38,000 but how do you put a price on such a collection?For all those interested in buying the set, who should they hit up?
I can't. Just a number I pulled out of the air. They can email James at