What are New Old Stock and Deadstock Frames?
Not all vintage is equal, especially in the area of vintage eyewear. Unlike your favourite 80s jeans, glasses do not get softer and more comfortable with years of wear!
All of our frames and sunglasses are genuine new old stock, but often we get asked what exactly does this mean? How can something be "new" and also vintage at the same time? We have found that some of our customers who were just starting to build their vintage collection, in particular, were interested in how these two contradictory statements can both hold true.
It is worth noting at this point that you may hear other phrases used which are interchangeable with new old stock and essentially mean the same thing.
- NOS is a common abbreviation used for this rather uncatchy phrase and has nothing to do with Nitrous Oxide for all you Fast and Furious fans out there.
- Another common phrase is dead stock, we choose not to use this phrasing as it suggests there is no more life left in the frame!
The definition of new old stock is...
"Any vintage item that has not been preowned."
The important distinction is they are NOT second-hand frames that someone has worn for years and then either grown tired of or upgraded.
Typically we source our frames directly from old manufacturers and opticians looking to liquidate their inventory either prior to retirement or to create more space in their storage for the latest frames. By buying directly from the source we can guarantee that your frame is a certified new old stock vintage frame and lots of our vintage glasses come with their original tags and cases. However often the cases and tags are not built as well as the frames themselves however we always supply a brand new case for your glasses or sunglasses with an Ed & Sarna lens cloth as well.
When we take delivery of a new order we immediately run a quality check to ensure that any frames with an unacceptable level of marks or warping on the acetate are discarded and never put on sale. If a frame passes our tests then we give the vintage glasses an optical bath to remove any last traces of dust and dirt that can build up over decades of storage in warehouses. Once they come out of the bath if they are sunglasses we check over the quality of the UV protection. If this is not up to modern standards we refit the frame with brand new CR39 UV400 lenses to guarantee 99.99% UVA UVB protection, to keep your peepers extra safe. Only once a frame has been through these processes will we put the frame online for you to purchase.
As you browse our selection of hundreds of new old stock vintage sunglasses and optical frames you can be assured that your purchase will arrive with you in the best condition ready to turn heads and add some style and fun from past decades to your face.
