There have been murmurs for a while now that Hugh Heffner may be looking to sell off some of his assets (not a euphemism), and perhaps in the form of the Bransonator, he may have found a sale.  Find out more after the jump.

The 83-year-old owner of America’s best-selling men’s glossy magazine is rumoured to be selling Playboy, now 56 years old, for $300 million.  It’s reported that Playboy’s actual worth is around the $100 million mark, but apparently Heff is asking for three times the actual value to support “his lavish lifestyle”.  Playboy is reported to have laid off 25 per cent of its workforce in Los Angeles and New York to cut costs . Here’s a cost-cutting tip for you Hugh: lose the whores. Or at least bring them in on an ad hoc basis.

The recession and the rise of the internet and influx of online pornography is to blame for the empire’s decline.  Much of it of a superb quality, and, I might add, gratis.