A former Playboy Playmate of the Year centerfold was shocked when she discovered memorabilia from her modeling days was worth thousands of dollars.
Chicagoan Candace Jordan brought her racy Playboy outfit to Antiques Roadshow and was stunned when it was appraised by her professional.
Jordan’s set consisted of her 1976 Playboy costume, her International Playmate of the Year Pageant first runner-up trophy, and her 1976 Playmate of the Year Pageant program.
In 2014, all of his merchandise was worth between $8,200 and $11,300, according to appraiser Laura Woolley.
Today, her playful collection of Playboy bunnies is valued at between $18,500 and $25,700.
Candace Jordan brought her Playboy memorabilia to an event in Chicago and described each item on Antiques Roadshow
Jordan’s outfit consisted of her 1976 Playboy costume and her first runner-up trophy from the International Playmate of the Year contest.
A smiling Jordan, who went by the name Candy during her Playboy bunny days, brought along the original dress, cufflinks, sash and bunny ears.
She also brought a photo of herself wearing the outfit during a Jerry Lewis telethon.
Jordan revealed on Antiques Roadshow that the outfits belong to Playboy clubs, but he managed to keep the outfit and has kept it ever since.
“All of the outfits were custom made for each girl, so it’s not possible to reuse them at any time,” Jordan told the appraiser.
The outfit also included the suit’s signature bunny tail, which is still intact and in good condition.
What intrigued Woolley most was that Jordan had all the pieces of her bunny suit in her collection, which she said was “pretty extraordinary.”
He added that the suit alone would be worth an estimated $2,000 to $3,000 at the time.
Appraiser Laura Woolley was very intrigued by the fact that Jordan had all the pieces of her bunny suit in his collection, which she said was “quite extraordinary.”
Jordan brought a photo of herself wearing the outfit during a Jerry Lewis telethon and posted photos of herself wearing the outfit on Instagram.
Jordan’s Bunny of the Year trophy was a first for Woolley. “I’ve never seen a trophy like that. I think for most of the women who won it, it was an honor…” she told the former Bunny.
Although her trophy was estimated to be worth between $2,000 and $3,000 at the time, Woolley couldn’t ignore the pageant’s program.
“This is the Bunny of the Year pageant show. There were a lot of celebrities in the audience who watched the international pageant because it was the first one to be broadcast on television,” Jordan said.
He pointed out some of the celebrity signatures that were on his show, including Steve Martin, Ringo Starr and OJ Simpson.
“I didn’t even remember getting these signatures,” he told Woolley.
“But after I got it out of storage and looked at it, my husband said, ‘Oh my God, do you know the names on there? ‘ It was so exciting.”
Woolley told Jordan the program would have cost at least $200 to $300, “if not more.”
Woolley said she had never seen an International Playboy Playmate of the Year trophy until that Chicago event.
The former centerfold first became a bunny while a student at St. Louis University.
Shortly after, she was asked to pose for Playboy and, as her photos did not go unnoticed, she packed her bags and moved into the mansion.
Jordan had a great time being a Playboy bunny and living in the mansion with Hugh Hefner himself.
“I was on the centerfold in 1979, and all the Playmates, the girls, were so diverse; they were all beautiful and it was like a sisterhood,” Jordan said.
“There were friends, there was no competition or jealousy. Living in the mansion with Hef was surreal.”
He added that back then celebrities “were dying to get to the mansion” and that the Rolling Stones occasionally hosted parties there.
“I guess I took it for granted. And now, looking back, I think I slap myself on the forehead and think, ‘Wow, those were some pretty exciting days,'” Jordan told Woolley.
Jordan, who is still affiliated with Playboy, praised Hefner, calling him the “perfect gentleman.”
The former Playmate and her husband occasionally spent time with Hefner at parties in Los Angeles until the Playboy founder died in 2017.
Jordan originally worked at the Playboy Club in St. Louis while attending St. Louis University. She moved into the Playboy Mansion shortly after.
Jordan is now a successful media personality and Playboy brand ambassador who isn’t afraid to reminisce about her days as a Playmate.
She posted a retro promo. image of herself on Instagram last month wearing a Playboy bunny outfit for the Chicago club she worked at.
Following his appearance on Antiques Roadshow, Jordan claimed in an Instagram post that the Chicago History Museum was interested in his Playboy memorabilia.