IAA Gold album award for Saga album Worlds Apart. Released in the U.S. in October 1982, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA on July 11, 1983 for 500,000 copies sold. Rare Saga award since they earned only one RIAA Gold certification.
The fourth studio release for the Canadian prog-rock band featured the single "On The Loose" which peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Wind Him Up" also became a popular track. Music videos of both tracks received heavy video play in the early days of MTV. The album rose to #29 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. See image above for the RIAA sales certification of this album.*
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Item Highlights:
- RIAA Gold Album award
- In Good to VG condition
- Award from 1983
- Presentation to music industry executive
- Real 1983 award made by framing company not authorized by the RIAA (see below), rebacked
- Made in the style of a "strip plate" award, typically made from 1982-85
- Award measures approx. 17" x 21"
- Great collectors item for any Saga fan
- FREE insured shipping to continental U.S.
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This award is from 1983 and was made by Starship Picture Framing Co. Inc. in Brooklyn, NY, who were not an authorized RIAA award manufacturer (which is apparent since some of the construction details are not correct). However, there are numerous titles that were made by this manufacturer for artists including Aldo Nova, Saga and others. It is, as such, a real industry award, in this case presented to Harvey Leeds, who worked at Live Nation among other music industry companies and in artist management.
The award has been rebacked but otherwise is original from 1983. It is in Good to VG condition, with some scratches on the frame including an area that looks to have been damaged and repainted (see detail image).
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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