Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 94

Manuscript & Collectibles Auction

Playboy

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 323		First Issue of Playboy Magazine (Page 3 Copy) CGC Graded 8.5 Very Fine +. Volume One, Number One December, 1953. There are three versions of the original Playboy #1 - a newsstand edition, an edition known as the "page 3 copy" (where page 3 is numbered) and an edition known as the "red star copy" (which has a red star next to the P in "Playboy") *This is a "page 3 copy,": the edition with page 3 numbered. Sources cite that 5% of the existing first editions are of this type*. The is one of the landmark cultural touchstones in American pop-culture history with the most iconic image of Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe, on the cover. This publication made Hugh Hefner a household name, ushered in the "sexual revolution" and of course the 1949 nude photos of Marilyn Monroe proved a global sensation. Issue also included great content including a Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Conan Doyle, articles on jazz, football, a piece by Amrose Bierce and plenty of illustrated humor. Off white to white pages, CGC graded 8.5 We are to understand no copies have been known in this scarce version of the first issue to be graded higher than 8.5 or offered in auction. $10,000 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $9,688
Lot 324		Second Edition of Playboy Magazine January, 1954 CGC Graded 8.0 Very Fine. Volume One: #2 The second issue of Playboy are actually harder to find than the celebrated first issue but significant in setting decades of tradition. This is the first issue with a date as Hugh Hefner wasn't sure there was going to be a second issue at the time he printed his first in December, 1953. Actress Margie Harrison was the first model to be named "Playmate of the Month" (she again was so designated in June, 1954) and equally noteworthy, this edition marks the start of the rabbit theme evident in the illustration of a rabbit in a smoking jacket. CGC Graded 8.0 considered VF with white pages. $1,500 - 2,500 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $938
Lot 325		Third Edition of Playboy February 1954 CGC Graded 9.2 Near Mint. Volume One, #3. February 1954 Playboy magazine was in full swing and distinguished itself both in content and photography. Dolores Del Monte earned some fame as a pinup model in the 1950�s and was chosen as the cover model for March 1954 with a Parisian theme and articles on Paris hotspots. Issue boasted fiction by Erskine Caldwell and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, cartoons by John Held Jr. and boxing featuring Rocky Marciano and Ezzard Charles. Off white to white pages, CGC Graded 9.2 near to mint. $2,000 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $600
Lot 326		Playboy Magazine, June - October, 1954, Issues 7-11. Five issues from the first year of publication of Playboy. Represented here are issues 7-11, months June-October. Within these issue are profiles as diverse as Frank Lloyd Wright, Orson Welles, and Robert Mitchum with features on nudity in foreign films as well as a wonderful look at burlesque stars at the time. Playmates were Marie Harrison, Neva Gilbert, Yvette Dare, Jackie Rainbow and Madeline Castle. Also some excellent cover art by Art Paul and others that very much mirror the 50s modern period in illustrated art. These issues are in very fine to excellent condition with only the most minor of evidence of wear on the covers. Beautifully archived for over 60 years. $1,000 View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 327		Playboy Magazine March, April & May 1954, Ray Bradbury's Farenheit 451 Serial Issues. Volume One: #4, #5 and #6. March, April, May 1954. Playboy magazine has long been associated with engaging some of the best writers of the 20th Century and these three issues certainly speak to that claim. Serialized over these three months was Ray Bradbury's seminal work, FARENHEIT 451 his landmark novel of a dystopian future where books are outlawed and burned by "firemen", the title referring to the temperature for autoignition of paper. Overall these three editions are in very good to fine condition. We note only a one inch scrape to the March cover and know, the 4th issue of Playboy remains valuable to collectors due to scarcity, the cover featuring Dolores Del Monte a pinup model of note in the 1950s and of course the first of three part serial of Bradbury's most popular and significant work. The April 1954 issue has only very faint numbers in pencil barely visible near eye of rabbit in the April issue and on the May cover tiny light stains in two places The interior pages in all three are excellent. Otherwise quite fine and remain very hard to find in such well archived condition. $900 - 1,500 View details and enlarged photo	Realized $180
Lot 328		Two Playboy Magazines, The 12th Issue and First Anniversary Nov-Dec 1954. Closing the first year in circulation, Hugh Hefner's publishing empire continued to climb. Offered here is the 12th issue, November 1954 which for collectors is a difficult issue to find when building the first year archive. Diane Hunter was one of the early 1950�s most popular pinup models, having been featured in several calendars and finally in this issue as "Playmate of the Month". Also fiction by Erskine Caldwell and feature on Dave Garroway. The 13th issue marked the first year anniversary of the publication a tradition established that since carried forward. Cover and playmate was Terry Ryan and the issue featured Marlene Dietrich, Playboy's first year looking at sports, and humor by Max Schulman. The condition for both issues is excellent, beautifully archived. $600 - 900 View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 329		Playboy Magazines Second Year of Publication, August - December, 1955. Five issues of Playboy Magazine from their second year of publication. Offered are five consecutive months, August - December, 1955. All are in very fine to excellent condition. August cover has a small '1955' written in upper right corner, October and December exhibit only minor evidence of wear, and September and November in excellent condition. September is of note as it has a color photo of Marilyn Monroe in a feathered corset atop a pink-painted elephant for a circus opening at Madison Square Garden. $600 - 800 View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 330		Playboy Magazines Second Year of Publication, February - July, 1955. Five issues from 1955 of Playboy Magazine. Note: Playboy Magazine did not publish a March, 1955 issue. Offered here are the February, April, May, June, and July issues in overall very good to excellent condition. The February, June and July covers exhibit moderate wear, with February having writing at above Playboy and moderate smudging, April quite nice save for the letter "B" wiritten in uppermost left corner, and June with '55' in upper right. The May issue is in exceptional condition. $500 - 800 View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 331		Playboy Magazine, Betty Page, January, 1955. The most collected issue from Playboy Magazine for the year, 1955 is the January issue. And without question, it is becuase of Betty Page as the centerfold, one of the most iconic images of her career. Also the magazine editiors seemed quite infatuated with New York City's Artist Equity Masked Ball with somewhat risque costumes and celebrities present with a two-page feature and images on the cover. Issue also boasted fiction by Ray Bradbury, Erskine Caldwell and John Steinbeck. In overall very fine condition. A tiny '55' in upper right corner in blue ink, and minor wear spot on harlequin patterned back cover. $300 - 500 View details and enlarged photo	Unsold