Here is an automobile company that didn't last nearly as long as Overland. Item 108 is The 1948 Playboy, from the Playboy Motor Car Corp. It includes a franchise agreement for prospective dealers, and offers their little three-seaters for $985 fob Buffalo. These were small cars, with little power or acceleration, but outstanding gas mileage for their day. It is a bit reminiscent of the later arriving Nash Metropolitan, but sportier looking. Unfortunately, the world wasn't ready for this neat little car, and the Playboy Motor Car Corp. didn't have the deep pockets to keep the operation going. The company went bankrupt in 1951 after producing just 97 cars. But… the Playboy name lives on. Hugh Heffner had nothing to do with the automobile manufacturer, but his company's co-founder and Heffner's close friend's mother had been a secretary for Playboy Motor Car and suggested the name to the rabbitmaster. $95.

 

Local businessmen may tend to exaggerate the wonders of their community, so perhaps we can forgive the Commercial Club of Duluth for its 1914 claims about their community's weather. Item 225 is The Climate of Duluth, Minnesota, and one of its claims is, "The region hereabouts is one of the most favored and healthful and picturesque to be found anywhere." They claim just about anything can grow there. Really? Oranges? Perhaps anything that thrives on a very short growing season between frosts can, but it is really more suitable for producing ice. $45.

 

Marc Selvaggio, Books & Ephemera, may be reached at 800-356-2199 or dsbooks@comcast.net