A former centerfoldPlayboy Bunny of the Year was left shocked when she found out that the memorabilia from her modeling days was worth thousands of dollars.
Candace Jordan, from Chicago, brought her risque Playboy outfit toAntiques Roadshow- and was left stunned when it was valued by their professional.
Jordan's setup consisted of her 1976 Playboy of the Year costume, her first-runner-up trophy from the International Bunny of the Year Pageant, and her 1976 Bunny of the Year Pageant program.
Back in 2014, all of her merchandise was worth between $8,200 and $11,300, according to appraiser Laura Woolley.
Today, her fun-filled Playboy bunny collection is valued at$18,500 to $25,700.
Candace Jordan brought her Playboy memorabilia to a Chicago event and described each item on Antiques Roadshow
Jordan's setup consisted of her 1976 Playboy of the Year costume, and her first-runner-up trophy from the International Bunny of the Year Pageant
A smiling Jordan, who went by Candy during her Playboy Bunny days, brought the original dress, cufflinks, sash, and bunny ears with her.
She also brought a picture of her wearing the outfit during a Jerry Lewis telethon.
Jordan revealed on Antiques Roadshow that the outfits belong to the Playboy clubs, but she managed to snag the outfit and kept it ever since.
'The costumes were all made to fit the individual girls. So it's not like they can reuse them anytime,' Jordan told the appraiser.
The outfit also included the suit's signature bunny tail, which is still intact and in good condition.
Woolley was most intrigued by Jordan having every piece of her Bunny suit in her collection, which she said was 'pretty extraordinary.'
She added that the suit alone would be estimated anywhere between $2,000 and $3,000 at the time.
Appraiser Laura Woolley was most intrigued by Jordan having every piece of her Bunny suit in her collection, which she said was 'pretty extraordinary'
Jordan brought a photo of her wearing the outfit during a Jerry Lewis telethon, and has posted photos of herself rocking the outfit on Instagram
Jordan's Bunny of the Year trophy was a first forWoolley. 'I've never seen a trophy come up. I think most of the women who won that, it was such a prestigious thing to win...,' 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 overlook the pageant program.
'This is the Bunny of the Year Pageant program. There was all these celebrities that were in the audience for the international pageant, because it was the first one that was ever televised,' Jordan said.
She pointed out a few celebrity signatures that were on her program, including Steve Martin, Ringo Starr, and OJ Simpson.
'I didn't even remember getting these signatures,' she told Woolley.
'But after I pulled it out of storage and looked at it, my husband said, "My God, do you know the names that are on here?" So it was pretty exciting.'
Woolley told Jordan that the program would've been at least $200 to $300 'if not more.'
Woolley claimed she had never seen an International Playboy Bunny of the Year trophy until that Chicago event
The former centerfold first became a Bunny while she was a student at St Louis University.
She was asked to pose for Playboy shortly afterward, and after her photos didn't go unnoticed, she packed her bags and moved into the mansion.
Jordan had the time of her life being a Playboy Bunny and living in the mansion with Hugh Hefner himself.
'I was a centerfold in 1979, and all the Playmates, the girls, were very diverse; they were all beautiful, and it was like a sorority,' Jordan said.
'There were friends, there was no competition, no jealousies. Living at the mansion with Hef was surreal.'
She added that celebrities would 'die to get to the mansion' back then, and the Rolling Stones would occasionally host parties there.
'I guess I really kind of took it for granted. And now, in hindsight, I think, I slap my forehead and think, "Wow, those were really heady days,'" Jordan told Woolley.
Jordan, who is still affiliated with Playboy, spoke highly of Hefner and called him the 'perfect gentleman.'
The former bunny and her husband occasionally spent time with Hefner at LA parties 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 a short time later
Jordan is now a successful media personality and Playboy brand ambassador who is not afraid to reminisce about her time as a bunny.
She posted a throwback promotionalimage of herself on Instagram last month in a Playboy Bunny suit for the Chicago club she worked at.
After her Antiques Roadshow appearance, Jordan claimed in an Instagram post that the Chicago History Museum was interested in her Playboy memorabilia.
