Bill Cosby is in a pickle, but in the 1960’s he was certified gold – by the RIAA. From 1964 to 1969 seven of his Warner Bros. albums achieved million dollar sales. Here you see a complete run of his awards, presented to Roy Silver, who was Cosby’s first manager and producer. The awards have condition issues but offer a look at some of the slight differences in presentation plates that can help White Matte collectors identify First Presentations (correct in format and construction for date of certification).
Presentation plates from 1964 (the beginning of the White Matte period) through early 1967, had what looked like LITTLE ELEVENS as quotes around the title. Cosby’s first four awards, all certified gold on on October 14, 1966, are good examples.
Plates during mid 1967 had what looked like TEARDROPS as the quotations. Revenge, certified on June 30, 1967, provides an example.
From the fall of 1967 until mid 1970 the quotations changed again, this time to REVERSED QUOTES as you can see on Cosby’s last two White Mattes, certified on July 12, 1968 and March 21, 1969.
To the serious collector there are additional ways of identifying when awards were made, knowledge of the quotations used is just one. While these presentation plates are all authentic and original from the time of certification, the awards have major condition issues including wrong discs, frames and backing not original or authentic, and for some unknown reason, many of the frames were painted green. (I usually think that frames are changed to match the decor in a room, but this green!)
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If you received awards in the 60′s – 70′s – or 80′s, and would like to spotlight their pictures and stories, or perhaps find a new home for them, please contact me, Jim, at (818) 416-3770 or jim@honormusicawards.com
