A few years ago, one of these magazines sold at auction for almost $4,000. Her photoshoot was hot, but the cover, which only featured her "bikini area", was considered very risque for the time (as you might imagine), and instantly flew off the shelves. She went on to have a decent film career in the 1960's. Merissa Mathes was the cover model and centerfold girl for 1962, as well as the 'Playmate of the Month' for June of that year. One of these usually costs between $1,900 and just under $3,000 these days on auction sites. As you can see, the bunny looked quite a bit different back then.
January 1954 was the first to feature a date and the start of the rabbit theme. Because Hugh Hefner didn't see his magazine becoming a huge success yet, he didn't even put a date on the first cover (more on that later). 7 January 1954 - First Dated Issue and First With The RabbitĪctress Margie Harrison was the first model to be named "Playmate of the Month" in the second edition of Playboy, back in January 1954.
It depends where you look but these editions, if in good condition, are worth anywhere between $1,500 and $2,000. Dolores Del Monte earned some fame as a pinup model in the 1950's and was chosen as the cover model for March 1954. Yvonne Menard was an actress in the late 40's and early 50's, and graced the cover of the February 1954 edition. I listed these two together because they are considered to be worth roughly the same. 8 February and March 1954 - Yvonne Menard (Cover) and Dolores Del Monte Some sites have suggested it is worth over $800 however. This rare edition of the magazine is generally listed for over $450 online. Her dark hair and bright blue eyes could potentially make her the 50's equivalent to Katy Perry. 9 January 1955 - Bettie PageĬommonly considered the "Queen of Pinups", Bettie Page was a favorite of not only young men everywhere in the fifties, but also of Hugh Hefner, who spoke fondly of her as a model and as a person. While all of the 1954 editions of the magazine are valuable today, November is one of those elusive months and can be found on auction sites for over $300. Diane Hunter was one of the early 1950's most popular pinup models, having been featured in several calendars and finally the November 1954 issue of Playboy. It won't be news to anyone, but the first couple of years worth of Playboy magazines are worth something today. 10 November 1954 - Centerfold: Diane Hunter
#1997 PLAYBOY MAGAZINE FREE#
Different sources will value particular issues and certain covers and such, so if you're an aficionado, feel free to scrutinize my sources as you see fit. Some are actual copies, while others are just for the covers. In honor of Playboy no longer offering nudity, here is a look at editions of the magazine from the last 62 nudity filled years that are worth the most today.
According to a brief interview with the CEO of Playboy, they want the difference between the readership of their publication and that of Vice is that "we're going after the guy with the job".
In short, they are trying to further modernize the magazine in hopes of attracting young men who live in cities. They've suggested that they will continue with interviews and journalism, but focus on including art themes while maintaining an intellectual atmosphere. Playboy magazines with naked women are a thing of the past, but it will be interesting to see if they can do anything to keep their name different from publications like Maxim. Back to the point however, with so much free nudity EVERYWHERE, there's almost no point to Playboy having pictures of naked women. While the "Rules of the Internet" may be a joke, they're true, and none are truer than rule 34 which of course states that if you can think of something, the adult entertainment business has already done it. As anyone can point out, every smartphone and computer is just a few clicks away from all kinds of depravity to which Playboy, Hustler and Penthouse can't even come close. For decades, Playboy has been known for naked women, and now they've announced that they will no longer provide that product. Those were all jokes, by the way, but this Playboy news is huge. In other news, McDonald's announced that they were no longer serving hamburgers, Starbucks will only serve mineral water, Eminem will now play the cello and cats are now going to be helpful. I still think this may be some sort of hoax, but last week, Playboy magazine announced that they would no longer be featuring fully naked women in their magazine. There are many reasons to read Playboy Magazine: articles, pictures, and inherent collector's value?