Every once in a while, when I was traveling, I’d see this show called ‘Antiques Roadshow’, and it was basically people just getting random antiques valued by professional appraisers. And, to me, there

Every once in a while, when I was traveling, I’d see this show called ‘Antiques Roadshow’, and it was basically people just getting random antiques valued by professional appraisers. And, to me, there was always these semi-confusing valuations, because you never knew which way they were going to swing on items that had been modified. Like…one particular item had been modified to ensure it still was functional and that gave it a higher valuation. But a different item in a different category had been modified to ensure it was functional ended up being worth less. I could never figure out which way one particular item would go and it became a source of frustration for me.  
 
The way I understand the ‘ship of Theseus’ thing - is that if you have an object that would be better off with some significant maintenance, and you end up replacing each and every part of said object with newer, better parts to ensure it functions as best as possible, is that object still the object you think it is, or is it something entirely different? Google says: “The ship of Theseus…is a thought experiment that raises the question of whether an object that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object.” So as a sneakerhead, the question naturally comes up.  
 
The thing about shoes is that they just don’t last all that long. So I’ve been hearing this ‘ship of Theseus’ thing several times over the past few years and got hit with it again yesterday…in relation to the post above. This pair of Yeezy 1’s had its soles replaced…which isn’t that wild…but what is of note is that its soles were replaced with REPLICA soles. Why were they replaced with replicas? Because authentic Yeezy 1 soles are simply not available. 
 
An authentic pair of Yeezy 1’s that has their soles replaced presents some interesting questions…do we consider them 100% authentic Yeezy 1’s? ‘Conditional’ Yeezy 1’s?‘Customized’ Yeezy's? Or are they something else? What do these functional modifications do to resale value? But what is one to do? Leave their shoes to deteriorate naturally in a box in a closet somewhere? Or does one replace pieces with available materials in order to wear (or sell)?