RIAA Platinum Album award for Billy Joel album The Complete Hits Collection: 1973-1997 signed by Billy Joel. The album was released on Oct. 1, 1997 and certified Platinum on Nov. 17, 1999 for one million copies sold.
A four disc box set, this compilation contained a compendium of hits from Joel, covering the first 25 years of his prolific career from "Piano Man" to "We Didn't Start The Fire" and everything in between. By 2018 it was certified 2x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. See image above for all the RIAA certifications of this release.* Joel signed the award on the album art photo of himself inside the award in silver marker.
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Item Highlights:
- RIAA Platinum album award
- In VG to Excellent condition
- First presentation award from 1994
- Album art inside the award hand signed by Billy Joel (not autopen)
- Presentation to music industry executive
- All original with manufacturer sticker
- Award measures approx. 14.5" x 20"
- Letter of provenance included
- MusicGoldmine Autograph Authenticity Guarantee
- Known as a "RIAA bar hologram" award with a serial number hologram, they were made from 1998 to present
- Great and rare collectors item for any Billy Joel fan
- FREE insured shipping to continental U.S.
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This is a first presentation RIAA Platinum award that would have been manufactured in 1999 making it 23 years old. It is signed in silver marker by Billy Joel on the album art inside the award.
The award is presented to Jerry Blair, a record executive who held roles at CBS, Chrysalis, and Columbia Records. Blair played a key role in the success of artists including Joel, Aerosmith, Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin, George Michael, Savage Garden, Will Smith and many others. The award is accompanied by a letter of provenance from Blair's son, who later took possession of his father's awards (see image of letter, son's name is redacted on image, buyer will receive unredacted copy).
This award is all original including manufacturer's sticker from Ill Eagle Enterprises.The award is in VG to Excellent condition with only very minor wear on the frame and plexiglass.
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Notes on the condition of all vintage RIAA awards like this one: Please do not buy this item if you want a brand new piece of memorabilia. These are historical artifacts from the year they were produced. As a result they may show signs of wear. Frankly, if you see a 20 to 50-year-old award purported to be in 100% perfect condition, it might be too good to be true. After all, an antique should have "good' wear. If not, you might want to question the piece.
As to where they came from, they could have been displayed in record label offices, recording studios, artist manager's offices, radio stations, private collector's homes and yes, of course, possibly the artist's or songwriter's home. Typically, we don't know all the places they may have been over the years other than what we've stated in the description.
Finally, a word on photos: Our photos are zoomable so you can get a very good look. Do let us know if you want photos of any other details on our pieces and we'll be happy to provide.
*RIAA sales data source: RIAA.com