RIAA Gold Album Award for Alice Cooper album Billion Dollar Babies. Released on Jan. 17, 1973, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA for 500,000 copies sold on Jan. 18, 2005.
Cooper's sixth studio album, and best-selling up to that point, featured the Billboard Hot 100 hits "Elected", "Hello Hooray", "Billion Dollar Babies", and "No More Mr. Nice Guy". The album topped both the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and the UK Album chart, and also hit the top 10 in most of Europe, Australia, and Canada. By 1986 the release was certified Platinum by the RIAA for one million copies sold. See image above for RIAA sales certifications of the album* (and see below for more information on how this award could be a Gold Album award created sometime after 1998).
Mouse Over to Zoom/Click to Enlarge Photos
Item Highlights:
- RIAA Gold Album award
- In VG condition
-
Made sometime around 2005
- Presented to music industry talent agent
- Letter of provenance included
- All original with manufacturer sticker
- Known as a "RIAA serial number hologram" award, they were made from 1998 to present
- Award measures approx. 17" x 21"
- Great collectors item for any Alice Cooper fan
- FREE insured shipping to continental U.S.
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This RIAA Gold Album award would have been manufactured sometime around 2005, making it about 19 years old. It's worth noting that by 1986 the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA so it should have been made as a Platinum award if ordered after 1998. How this was made as a Gold award is up to conjecture. It could be that the recipient requested a Gold version and, unusually, that request was granted, or it could have simply been an error in by the licensed award maker, Ill Eagle Enterprises.
What is known for sure is that the recipient is a bona fide music industry recipient who we acquired several RIAA awards from directly. The recipient is John Bongiorno, a music industry talent agent who worked for a variety of booking agencies, including Pinnacle, Paradigm, Windish, Arrival and others. A notarized letter of provenance from him is included with the award (see image).
The award is in VG condition, with only a couple of very minor mars on the frame and some tears on the backing paper (taped to help prevent dust intrusion). The award is all original with Ill Eagle Enterprises manufacturer sticker.
Interested in knowing more about RIAA awards and what makes them great to add to your collection? Subscribe to our free bi-weekly newsletter and get our MusicGoldmine RIAA and Record Award Guide free plus a 15% discount code here.
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