Vintage and in great condition, this is a 1970s label award (i.e. non-RIAA) made by Disc Award Ltd. recognizing success of the classic Carole King album Tapestry. Penned almost entirely by the experienced Tin Pan Alley songwriter herself, King's breakout album as an artist is one of the few RIAA Diamond-certified (10 million copies sold) albums by a female artist and one of the best selling albums of all time. It also won four Grammy awards in 1972 including Album Of The Year.
Hit singles included "It's Too Late" and "I Feel The Earth Move" which both went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, along with "You've Got A Friend", "So Far Away" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". Quickly going Gold in 1971, by July 17, 1995 the album was by 2022 certified 14x Multi-Platinum for over 14 million sold. See image above for the RIAA sales certification data of this album* (Note that this is not a RIAA award).
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Item Highlights:
- Disc Award Ltd. record label in-house gold record award for Carole King album Tapestry (Note: Not an RIAA award, although Disc Award Ltd. awards are typically seen as the most valuable of in-house awards)
- Estimated to have been made in the early 1970s making it about 50 years old
- In VG condition with shiny gold record and a few mars on the frame but excellent glass and black velvet matte
- Award measures approx. 15.5" x 15.5"
- Great historic collectors item for any Carole King fan
- FREE insured shipping to continental U.S.
- International shipping available
This award is in VG condition, despite its 50+ year old age. Although it has the usual nicks and mars on the frame, it was obviously well kept over the years resulting in very little fading of the matte and label and no tarnishing of the gold record. It also has the disctinctive "dragon logo" engraved in the dead wax area, along with its original wood back with number stamp. The award is presented to radio station KRLA, which broadcast to the Los Angeles market from 1959-2000.
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Notes on the condition of all vintage record 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.