RIAA Gold Album award for Elton John's classic album Madman Across The Water which was released in the U.S. on February 14, 1972. The album was certified Gold just days later by the RIAA on February 19, 1972 for 500,000 copies sold.
This official RIAA award is a special limited issue (#91 of 100 made) award with a RIAA "bar hologram" with serial number. Signed by Elton John on the CD inside the award.
The album produced hits "Tiny Dancer" and "Levon" which pushed the album to #8 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. By 1998 the album had been certified 2x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA.
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Item Highlights:
- RIAA Gold album award from the "bar hologram" with serial number period: Gold record, CD, cassette and info plate
- In Excellent condition with only very minor wear on frame and one mar on plexiglas with matte, discs, cassette and presentation plate in excellent condition
- Special commemorative award (#91 of 100 made) created sometime 1998 or after
- Presented to Elton John
- Signed by Elton John on CD inside award (see detail below)
- Appears to have original backing paper although manufacturer label is missing
- Known as a "bar hologram" award because it contains an RIAA hologram label with serial number, made from 1998 to present
- Award measures approx. 17" x 21"
- Beautiful and rare collectors item for any Elton John fan
- FREE insured shipping to continental U.S.
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This is a special commemorative award RIAA from sometime 1998 or after. It contains a Gold disc with "Mastered By Capitol" etched in the dead wax area of the disc (see image).
The award is presented to Elton John and signed by the artist on the CD. We do not have a certificate of authenticity for the autograph but it is believed to be genuine given this is a commemorative award limited to 100 pieces total with this being numbered #91. It was manufactured with the RIAA serial number bar hologram. This award was acquired from a U.K. auction house by a European buyer from whom we subsequently purchased it.
The award is in excellent condition with a slight mar in the plexiglas near the presentation plate and a few very small scratches on the frame. While it appears to have an original unopened backing paper, it is missing its manufacturer label.
Interested in knowing more about RIAA awards and what makes them great to add to your collection? Read our article 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