The best pieces of Playboy collectible memorabilia by Paul Fraser Collectibles Do you think that Playboy is just about pretty young girls taking their clothes off? Think again...
for a surprisingly modest $6,500 at Heritage Auctions in 2010 and be worth significantly more in the future.
#4. Vintage Bunny Costume worn at the London Playboy Club - £5,950 ($9,281)
From the early 1960s to late 1980s, membership of Hugh Hefner's Playboy Clubs of the world acted as a status symbol for the rich and famous. In the elitist atmosphere of the club rooms, drinks were served by specially trained waitresses: Playboy Bunnies.
The tuxedo-style dress code of the Playboy Clubs became iconic - with each outfit tailored for wearer. Each bunny also wore a name tag, made from a satin rosette, pinned above her right hip bone.
The costumes were so important that they were even registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Not surprisingly, these are rare and highly sought-after today - like this example, once worn by Erica, presently for sale at Paul Fraser Collectibles priced at £5,950.
View this Bunny Costume for sale
#3. Little Annie Fanny, World Peace art - $20,000
Never let it be said that Hugh Hefner's Playboy doesn't have a social conscience - perfectly demonstrated on this gouache and board artwork dated to circa late '60s-early '70s.
Entitled Little Annie Fanny, World Peace, this painting by American artist Will Elder was one of a series for Playboy in which Little Annie Fanny campaigns for peace in the world in her own inimitable style.
Billed as being in "excellent condition" apart from some extra flag fragments pasted to the work, the unsigned 20 x 14.5 inches artwork sold for $20,000 at Heritage Auctions in 2008.
#2. Paul McCarthy's signed 1979 'illegal war' sketch - £15,000
As mentioned, Playboy made a point of featuring some of the most pioneering and subversive artists of their respective eras - indeed Hefner himself had been a budding artist.
Among the publication's leading artists was Paul McCarthy, whose drawings, paintings and sculpture were influenced by the likes of Jackson Pollock and have since inspired later artists such as Jake and Dinos Chapman.
This untitled McCarthy cartoon dates to 1979 but, with its references to an illegal war and appeals for taxes, could easily apply to America's recent events. "I just thought we'd drop by and mention that, as we're not carrying on any illegal wars at the moment, you might like to start paying taxes again," reads the caption.
The contentious work clearly resonated with bidders when it auctioned at Phillips de Pury & Company of New York in 2010. It sold for £15,000, its value boosted by the artist's autograph.
#1. Alberto Vargas 'Vargas Girl' artwork, 1971 - $45,000
"From the time America was introduced to the Varga Girl in 1940, the name Vargas has been synonymous with pin-up and glamour art," wrote Great American Pin-Up author Charles G. Martignette.
"In fact, the word 'vargas' has actually been applied to almost every kind of pin-up subject -- a fitting tribute to the most famous and prolific glamour artist of all time."
