The first issue of Playboy Magazine, Volume I, Number I, featuring Marilyn Monroe on the cover and also as the Sweetheart of the month. Signed on the front cover in black felt tip by the ultimate Playboy himself, Hugh Hefner. Accompanied by a photo of Hefner taken at time of signing. In very good condition, with a bit of scattered light foxing and several small and unobtrusive holes to covers, a couple noticeable creases to top right of front cover and light overall handling wear. Playboy’s original title was to be Stag Party, but an unrelated outdoor magazine, Stag, contacted Hefner and informed him that they would legally protect their trademark if he were to launch his magazine with that name. Hefner and co-founder and executive vice president Eldon Sellers met to discuss the problem and to seek a new name. Sellers, whose mother had worked for the short-lived Playboy Automobile Company in Chicago, suggested the name Playboy. The first issue, published in December 1953, did not carry a date, as Hefner was unsure whether there would be a second issue. The first centerfold was Marilyn Monroe, although the picture used had originally been taken for a calendar, rather than for Playboy. The first issue was an immediate sensation; it sold out within a matter of weeks. Known circulation was 53,991. The cover price was fifty cents. One of the most, if not the most, desirable of the entire Playboy publications. R&R COA.
