RIAA Platinum album award for Stevie Wonder album Characters. The album, which was released on Nov. 6, 1987, was certified Platinum by the RIAA on Jan. 8, 1988 for one million copies sold.
The album, Wonder's 21st, produced several singles including the Grammy-nominated track "Skeletons", which rose to #19 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "You Will Know", which peaked at #77, and which both topped the Billboard R&B Singles chart. A duet with Michael Jackson, "Get It", also appeared on the album. The album rose to #17 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and #33 in the U.K. See image above for the RIAA sales certifications of this album*.
Mouse Over to Zoom/Click to Enlarge Photos
Item Highlights:
- RIAA "flower hologram" Platinum award with LP and cassette
- In Very Good condition
- First presentation award from 1988
- Presented to record industry retailer and promoter
- All original components (see details below)
- Award measures approx. 16" x 20" (see details below)
- Known as a RIAA "flower hologram" award, they were made from 1986-89
- Awesome collector's item for any Stevie Wonder fan
- FREE insured shipping to continental U.S.
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This is a first presentation RIAA Platinum album award that would have been manufactured in 1988, making this award approx. 34 years old. It is presented to Hank Stewart, who was a record retailer and promoter.
The award is in VG condition with only minor wear on the frame and plexiglass. This is an unusual award in that it is slightly undersize, at 16" x 20" instead of the standard 17" x 21" typically made in this RIAA era. The award was reframed using an original 1988 frame that was in better condition. This is most likely a "grey area" award made in the mid-80s by an unknown manufacturer, possibly Fitzgerald Hartley. Some MCA and associated label (Motown releases were distributed by MCA in 1988) awards share this same off-sizing and feature no manufacturer label. For more information on awards such as this, see the section on "grey area awards" in our record award guide article here.
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 55-page MusicGoldmine RIAA and Record Award Guide free plus a 15% discount code here.
Notes on the condition of all vintage RIAA awards: 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