RIAA Gold "white matte" album award for the Beatles Yesterday And Today LP presented to the Beatles. This album was released only in the U.S. and Canada on June 15, 1966 and quickly certified Gold by the RIAA on July 8, 1966 for one million dollars worth sold.
This album became infamous due to its' original cover art. Known as the "butcher cover", the photo depicted the band dressed in white smocks with decapitated baby dolls and raw meat strewn across them. The cover was immediately withdrawn by the label after retailer protests and the photo of the group around a steamer trunk took its' place. Of course by the time a Gold record was issued for the release, the "butcher cover" was not used for the album cover miniature.
In terms of tracks, the album featured classics "Yesterday", "Act Naturally", "Nowhere Man", "Drive My Car", Day Tripper", and "We Can Work It Out", among others, and "I'm Only Sleeping", "Doctor Robert" and "And Your Bird Can Sing" from the yet-to-be-released Revolver album. The album went to #1 in both the U.S. and Canada. By 1997 it had been certified 2x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA for the U.S. See image above for all the RIAA sales certifications of this album through the years*.
*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 "white matte" LP award
- First presentation award from 1966-68
- Presented to the Beatles
- In VG condition (see details)
- Has original back with manufacturer sticker
- "White matte" awards (obviously so-named due to the white matte used) were made from from 1964-1974
- RIAA white matte awards numbered only 5-25 plaques worldwide for any given single/album
- Award measures approx. 17" x 21"
- Beautiful and rare collector's item for any fan of the Beatles
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Detailed Item Description: This RIAA Gold LP award must have been made between 1966-68 since the award features the pre-1969 Fulton Street address New York Frame & Picture Co. manufacturer's sticker on its' backing paper. The award is presented to the Beatles.
It was part of the late David Gest's collection. Gest, who was married to Liza Minnelli for a time, was a television producer and prolific collector of high end music and entertainment memorabilia. The award is approx. 58 years old and yet in Very Good condition. There are mars on the wood frame as is expected and the record label has a small tear. Given that the backing paper is original with manufacturer label but torn on three sides, it is fairly obvious that the label had come unglued at some point and later re-affixed, getting slightly damaged in the process. However, the disc, album miniature, matte, and presentation plate are in Very Good condition.
Don't miss this rare opportunity to get a highly-coveted 1960s Beatles RIAA white matte award presented to the group themselves.
Did you know the Beatles have more collector purchases of RIAA awards in the top 10 highest auction sales than any other artist? See the top 10 in our article here.
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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 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