RIAA Gold 45 award for Queen's iconic "Bohemian Rhapsody". Released on Oct. 31, 1975, the track was certified Gold by the RIAA on June 3, 1976 for 500,000 copies sold.
In an era of 2-3 minute radio singles, the track became a huge hit for Queen despite being nearly six minutes long. From the group's 1975 LP A Night at the Opera, it went to #1 in the U.K. and #9 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. In 1991 the song's appearance in the film Wayne's World created a major resurgence of interest in the track, pushing it up the charts again to top ten chart spots in many markets worldwide including the U.S. and U.K.
The track was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004 and Freddie Mercury's vocal performance was chosen in a Rolling Stone reader poll as the greatest in rock history. See image above for the RIAA sales certification data of this single*.
*Avoid paying auction fees/buyer's premiums by buying our RIAA awards here on our site before they go to auction. We take select RIAA awards to auctions a few times a year.
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Item Highlights:
- RIAA Gold 45 Single award
- In VG condition with typical wear on the frame
- First presentation award from 1976
- Presented to artist manager
- All original but rebacked with glass replaced
- Known as a "floater" award because the components appear to "float" above the matte, they were made from 1975-1981. RIAA "floater" awards numbered only 25-50 plaques worldwide for any given single/album
- Award measures 13" x 17"
- Rare, fantastic collector's item for any Queen or Freddie Mercury fan
- FREE insured shipping to continental U.S.
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This is a first presentation RIAA Gold award that would have been manufactured in 1976. That makes the award approximately 46 years old. The award is presented to Connie Pappas, who was at that time VP of John Reid Enterprises who managed Queen, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Kiki Dee, and Carole Bayer Sager. Here's a trade publication clipping photo of Pappas with Queen at a record award presentation in 1976:
The award is in VG condition with typical frame wear. All components of the award are original except it has had the plexiglass replaced with real glass at some point and so has also been rebacked.
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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