Playboy Magazine - Entertainment For Men - First Issue - 12.1953

The first issue of Playboy Magazine, in December 1953, was undated, as Hefner was unsure there would be a second issue. Hefner produced the magazine in his Hyde Park kitchen. The first centerfold was Marilyn Monroe, although the picture used was originally taken for a calendar, rather than Playboy. Hefner chose what he deemed the “sexiest” image, a previously unused nude pose of Marilyn stretched out with an upraised arm on a red velvet background with closed eyes and open mouth. The heavy promotion centered around Marilyn’s nudity on the already famous calendar, together with the teasers in marketing, made the new Playboy magazine a success. The first issue sold out in weeks. Known circulation was 53,991. The cover price was 50 cents.
Copies of mint to near mint condition sold for over $65,000 in 2019.