RIAA Platinum LP award for Led Zeppelin II, which was released on October 22, 1969. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on Nov. 10, 1969 for 500,000 copies sold but interestingly not certified Platinum until Dec. 11, 1990, making this "R hologram" a first presentation Platinum RIAA award for this album.
The legendary album spawned the group's most successful U.S. chart single, "Whole Lotta Love," which rose to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1970. The group was upset with Atlantic Records for creating a shorter version of the track for the single. Ironically, this shorter version gained them their highest career U.S. Hot 100 chart position. The album also contained such Zeppelin classics as "Heartbreaker", "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)", "Thank You", "Moby Dick" and more.
Today the album sits at over 12 million copies sold in the U.S. alone, having reached that mark in 1999. It was ranked #79 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, along with many other accolades. See image above for more RIAA sales certifications of this album through the years*.
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Item Highlights:
- RIAA Platinum "R hologram" LP award with album miniature, "platinum" disc, cassette, CD and presentation plate
- In VG to Excellent condition with a few very minor scratches on the frame and slight fading of matte
- First presentation award from 1990
- Unopened back with manufacturer's sticker
- Known as a "R hologram" award, they were made from 1990-97
- Award measures approx. 17" x 21"
- Beautiful and rare collectors item for any Zeppelin fan
- FREE insured shipping to continental U.S.
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This RIAA Platinum award for Led Zeppelin II is a first presentation RIAA Platinum award that would have been manufactured sometime in 1990 making it approx. 30 years old. It is presented to Jerry Jacobs. It is not known what role Jacobs played in the creation or marketing of the album.
Interestingly, the album wasn't actually certified Platinum (and also at the same time 5x Multi-Platinum) until Dec. 11, 1990, so all the RIAA plaques that could have been issued prior to 1990 would have been Gold awards, not Platinum. This album certainly sold the number of units to be certified Platinum long before that date. It's likely the label simply had not filed the required paperwork proving those sales with the RIAA until 1990. The end result is that the "R hologram" style award became the first presentation Platinum awards since they were the style of awards made from 1990-97.
The award is in VG to Excellent condition, with only a very few minor scratches on the frame, minor fading of the matte and a couple of minor scuffs on the backing paper. This award has its original back with Dejay Products manufacturer sticker.
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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 at record label offices, recording studios, artist manager's offices, radio stations, record retailers, 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