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Playboy To Sell Another Round Of Art

Filed under: Auctions, Art

leroy neiman playboy
Playboy had such success with an art auction last fall ($230,000 total for 17 pieces of art and illustration) that they are doing it again. The "Playboy - I Read It For The Art" auction will feature another 17 original drawings and illustrations from the magazine's archives. The auction will take place at Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas, Texas on March 12. Online bidding is also available. The auction features the a few glamorous Alberto Vargas pin-ups, a "Little Annie Fanny" comic strip by Harvey Kurtzman and Jack Davis, a pair of Patrick Nagel pieces and several from LeRoy Neiman. His "Surfing, Poche Beach, Man at His Leisure" shown above is acrylic on paper and has a minimum bid of $6,500.

The strategy of having a few small auctions versus one big blockbuster blow-out of the Playboy archives is an interesting one. As Blogging Stocks mentioned last month, Playboy Enterprises reported a loss of $145.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2008 and chairman Jerome Kern told investors on a conference call that the company is "willing to listen" to listen to sale or merger possibilities. These smaller auctions give the public a taste of what the magazine has in its coffers and raise a little money while still keeping the bulk of the archives, which may prove to be a key asset, safe.

Playboy Launches High-End Wine Collection

Filed under: Wine

Right on time for holiday giving, Playboy has come out with a line of wines. The wines are available by bottle or by a yearly subscription for $1,567 and include a limited run of up to 550 bottles per series; vineyards include Gargiulo Money Road Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Supery's famed Dollarhide Cabernet Sauvignon, Schug Estate Heritage Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, RODA Cirsiron and Tenuta Sette Ponti Oreno. And of course, since it's Playboy, each wine is labeled with a vintage Playboy cover which represents the flavor and taste profile of each wine.

The wines are available online but will also be sold at wine retailers in the United States. The wines will retail individually at $90 to $380 a bottle. Check out the first offerings in the gallery below.

[via Avenue Vine]

Gallery: Playboy Wines

Playboy Puts Some Beauties Up For Auction

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Playboy is auctioning off some of their historic archive of art commissioned for the magazine on October 15. The auction, called "Playboy: The Art of Beauty" will take place at Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas, and online. There will be 17 pieces up for sale including drawings and photographs which focus on a celebration of beautiful women. The pieces by 11 artists include two by Alberto Vargas, one fro.er. The pieces date from 1956 to 1985 and are priced more modestly than some other art you might find at fall sales, the highest being an estimate of up to $60,000 for a Vargas blonde. You can check out the entire auction at the Heritage Auction site (nsfw).

UPDATE: The auction brought in $230,000.

Stacey Dash's Luxe Lingerie to be Available Online

Filed under: Apparel


Letters of Marque, the luxe, vintage-inspired lingerie line launched by beautiful actress-turned-designer Stacey Dash last year, will finally be available for purchase online beginning July 4. Dash, a onetime Playboy model who's currently appearing on NBC's reality series Celebrity Circus, based her sexy debut collection on an exquisitely-crafted 150-year-old piece of Victorian lace lingerie which she'd worn herself for over a decade on, ahem, special occasions. "To me, the most important place to feel luxurious is in your home being intimate with the one you love," Dash tells Luxist. Her pieces are woven with the same rare French and English Leavers lace that was used in the piece that inspired them. The line's name has a historical antecedent as well; Dash discovered that one of her ancestors was a Dutch privateer with a letter of marque officially authorizing him to capture booty. Check out www.lettersofmarque.com on or after the 4th to snag some for yourself.

Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds

Filed under: Art


Not many coffee table books come with their own briefcase but this one is no ordinary book. It is 720 pages that includes every centerfold from every issue of Playboy. The book includes over 600 Playmates offering a unique look at how standards of female attractiveness have varied over the decades. The black leather briefcase is lined in red velvet and has combination locks. It sells for $315.

[via Acquire]

Playboy's First Cartoon To Be Auctioned Off

Filed under: Auctions, Art


Some art you buy for its beauty, some art you buy for investment and some you buy for a certain sense of nostalgia. This one, the first illustration from the first Playboy magazine, definitely falls into the third category. The first Playboy cartoon in 1953 by Ben Denison, marks the start of a tradition that has gone on to include artists such as Eldon Dedini, Jules Feiffer, Shel Silverstein and Gahan Wilson, It is being auctioned off by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas on December 12. The gouache on illustration board measures approximately 11" x 8-1/2" and is estimated to sell for $12,000 - $18,000.

Macao Will Get A Playboy Mansion

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels


China's Las Vegas, Macao has taken another step toward luring tourists to the playtime destination. The Playboy Mansion Macao will be a 40,000 square-foot entertainment destination that will include a Hugh M. Hefner Villa for overnight stays. The Macao Mansion will be a part of the Macao Studio City complex and will pay homage to Hef's legendary Holmby Hills home. There is even a contemporary interpretation of the Playboy pool and the infamous grotto. And yes, there will be bunnies. It seems that the Playboy clubs, which were phased out back in the early 1990s are back in a new form with both this location and the Playboy Club at the Palms. The Mansion should open in late 2009. As, the Guardian notes, Playboy magazine itself is banned in China so this might be more of a draw for the international crowd.

Playboy Club To Open At The Palms

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

playboy palmsThey were all the range in the 1960s, now the Playboy Club is back and will be open for business as of this Friday, October 6. The Playboy Club is located at the top of The Palms new Fantasy Tower in Las Vegas and is connected via glass enclosed escalators to the new restaurant Nove Italiano, and Moon nightclub. The new version of the Playboy Club still has Playboy Bunnies only now they wear a costume created by Roberto Cavalli. The club features gaming, food and beverages and 60 plasma screens show Playboy videos. In addition to the club there is also the 9,000-square-foot Hugh Hefner Sky Villa. The suite has floor-to-ceiling glass walls with views of the Las Vegas Strip, a collection of Playboy artwork selected by Hugh M. Hefner, an indoor waterfall and reflection pool, personal glass elevator, private outdoor cantilevered Jacuzzi, a gym with sauna, full bar, media room, glass end walls and Playboy Rabbit Head logo, and a replica of the classic rotating circular bed that has been a mainstay in Mr. Hefner's bedroom for decades. The amazing suite cost $10 million to build and rents for $40,000 per night.

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