• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

CGC 9.0 Playboy #1 (Page 3 Copy)
2 2

Started by esquirecomics,

14 posts in this topic

esquirecomics

esquirecomics

Posted
Posted (edited)

CGC Qualified Grade 9.0 (staples replaced).

Highly sought-after Playboy #1 'Page 3 Copy' (HMH Publishing Co., December 1953) with white pages, featuring Marilyn Monroe on the front cover and inside.

Of the several variants of Playboy #1—a newsstand edition, a 'Red Star' copy, and a 'Page 3' copy—the 'Red Star' is considered rarest, followed closely by this 'Page 3' edition; the newsstand edition is much more common. The Page 3 Copy is one of three variants of the initial printing of the groundbreaking first issue, so named because unlike the more common newsstand copies, the "3" is actually printed on the page! These were actually the first copies printed, but were largely pulled from circulation almost immediately on Hefner's orders. For page count purposes, the front cover and the inside front cover were counted as pages 1 and 2, meaning the first inside page was considered page 3. It seems Hef did not want to confuse readers into thinking pages 1 and 2 were missing when they noticed a "3" on the first inside page, so his intent was to simply not number that page at all! To Hef's dismay, a conscientious employee "corrected" what he thought was an error and inserted the "3" just before the initial print run!  Try as he might, Hefner was unable to retrieve all the original "Page 3" copies, but relatively few survived. The "Page 3 Copy" version comprises only an estimated 5% of the total copies sold of the first issue. 

CGC census records only one example of this Page 3 version graded higher. That copy, a CGC 9.2 which is signed by Hefner, was sold by Heritage last month for $60,000!!

Hefner didn't know how well his concept magazine would be received, especially in the beginning, so the print run for the first issue was just about 50,000 copies. That was only about 5% of the print run of Superman comics in the mid-1950s. Do the math, and you can see that high-grade copies of Playboy #1 are not very plentiful, and the fact has been borne out with the recent and ever-rising demand for copies of #1.

Some other recent sales to compare:

CGC 8.5 (Newstand Edition), 2/15, $28,680

CGC 9.0 (regular edition - I presume also Newstand), 11/16, $26,290

CGC 8.5 (Page 3 copy), 5/17, $20,315

This was one of my holy grails to own, and it is a great investment as well! 

It can be yours for $30,000! 

Payment can be by wire transfer or check. Payment plan is available (1/3 nonrefundable deposit, 1/3 due in 30 days, final 1/3 due in 60 days). FREE shipping domestically (and insurance) via overnight carrier. Inquire for international quotes. Returns will be accepted within three calendar days.

First :takeit:wins but I will consider offers.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by esquirecomics
Link to comment
Share on other sites
BLUECHIPCOLLECTIBLES

BLUECHIPCOLLECTIBLES

Posted
Posted
On 12/28/2021 at 9:29 PM, esquirecomics said:

CGC Qualified Grade 9.0 (staples replaced).

Highly sought-after Playboy #1 'Page 3 Copy' (HMH Publishing Co., December 1953) with white pages, featuring Marilyn Monroe on the front cover and inside.

Of the several variants of Playboy #1—a newsstand edition, a 'Red Star' copy, and a 'Page 3' copy—the 'Red Star' is considered rarest, followed closely by this 'Page 3' edition; the newsstand edition is much more common. The Page 3 Copy is one of three variants of the initial printing of the groundbreaking first issue, so named because unlike the more common newsstand copies, the "3" is actually printed on the page! These were actually the first copies printed, but were largely pulled from circulation almost immediately on Hefner's orders. For page count purposes, the front cover and the inside front cover were counted as pages 1 and 2, meaning the first inside page was considered page 3. It seems Hef did not want to confuse readers into thinking pages 1 and 2 were missing when they noticed a "3" on the first inside page, so his intent was to simply not number that page at all! To Hef's dismay, a conscientious employee "corrected" what he thought was an error and inserted the "3" just before the initial print run!  Try as he might, Hefner was unable to retrieve all the original "Page 3" copies, but relatively few survived. The "Page 3 Copy" version comprises only an estimated 5% of the total copies sold of the first issue. 

CGC census records only one example of this Page 3 version graded higher. That copy, a CGC 9.2 which is signed by Hefner, was sold by Heritage last month for $60,000!!

Hefner didn't know how well his concept magazine would be received, especially in the beginning, so the print run for the first issue was just about 50,000 copies. That was only about 5% of the print run of Superman comics in the mid-1950s. Do the math, and you can see that high-grade copies of Playboy #1 are not very plentiful, and the fact has been borne out with the recent and ever-rising demand for copies of #1.

Some other recent sales to compare:

CGC 8.5 (Newstand Edition), 2/15, $28,680

CGC 9.0 (regular edition), 11/16, $26,290

CGC 8.5 (Page 3 copy), 5/17, $20,315

This was one of my holy grails to own, and it is a great investment as well! 

It can be yours for $30,000! 

Payment can be by wire transfer or check. Payment plan is available (1/3 nonrefundable deposit, 1/3 due in 30 days, final 1/3 due in 60 days). FREE shipping domestically (and insurance) via overnight carrier. Inquire for international quotes. Returns will be accepted within three calendar days.

First :takeit:wins but I will consider offers.

 

 

 

 

 

First time I ever heard that bit of history.  I've owned Pl;ayboy 1s in the past but never knew to check the inside page numbers

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BuscemasAvengers

BuscemasAvengers

Posted
Posted
On 12/29/2021 at 5:45 PM, BLUECHIPCOLLECTIBLES said:

First time I ever heard that bit of history.  I've owned Pl;ayboy 1s in the past but never knew to check the inside page numbers

You might have been distracted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
2 2
Go to topic listing