This is an original January 1978 issue of Playboy Magazine (subscription edition), and it's part of a trove of magazines we retrieved from a longtime collector. He kept his collection in the basement, and the condition of individual issues ranges from Superb (the CGC equivalent of a 9 or 10) to "space filler" (a CGC 1 or 2). We are listing the issues individually, so we are able to make issue-specific notes regarding condition and content below. Please note that combined product amounts over $35 on a single order from our store get a shipping rebate.
The cover of the January 1978 issue is graced by Playmate Rita Lee (November 1977) in the first of three solo appearances on cover she would eventually do. This being a January issue, the content is thick (requiring three binding staples) and the pictorials are plentiful. There's the always-popular review of the previous year's Playmates, a similarly popular review of "The Year in Sex", and an unusual pictorial where the magazine went to some of the topmost film directors of the day — Federico Fellini, Louis Malle, Sam Peckinpah, etc. — and let them oversee a photo shoot that encapsulated some of the sexual fantasies they were unable to insert into the artistic visions of their films (ostensibly for fear those films would fall afoul of censorship laws). Fiction contributions come from Irwin Shaw and Erich Segal. Other content includes the usual cartoons and humor, as well as an interesting series of articles on "Moviemaking, Seventies Style" — complete with your own tear-out board game called "The Hollywood Hustle". It should also be mentioned there is a wide-ranging panel discussion on the topic of UFOs, which were getting increasing scrutiny (popularity?) following 1977's release of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". The centerfold is Debra Jensen, and the interview is with philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre — notably only the second time Playboy had re-interviewed a person (the first was Muhammad Ali).
The condition of this issue is, in our opinion, a 7 (or at least a high 6). The issue shows clear evidence of handling, but no flaws that detract from enjoyment of the content. Most of the handling, frankly, is limited to the covers, where the dark-ink background of the front cover transfers easily to the fingers of the user (please see our photos). There's also an edge wrinkle at the bottom of the back cover, possibly caused by its standing up in someone's magazine rack for a time. Beyond that, all pages are present (including the centerfold), the binding staples are secure with no tearing around them, and there are no other creases, folds, or dog-ears of note. This issue still even has its original reader-reply cards so, again, the pages beyond the covers are fairly pristine. We should note this issue does have a verrrrry light musty smell, so if you or your family are particularly sensitive we can't recommend buying this. Still, we feel this specimen would be a solid addition to any collection.
All our issues are shipped in protective polybag sleeves.