Quote Originally Posted by motony View Post
In the 80's at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios in Orlando, I was looking at all the memorabelia on the walls & came across a framed RIAA Gold Record of the Motown Yesteryear Series Label 45 of "My Guy" by Mary Wells..this is the Yesteryear Series Not Motown#1056.Needless to say Mary Wells was quite upset because she did not get the gold record NOR the royalties for it. So if that reissue sold a million I wonder what the total would be for Motown#1056.
Two explanations motony, either or both are the answer.

1) You or I can pay for an RIAA certification if we want and they'll provide it, but it has to have been certified to come from them and it never was [[so you probably know where this is going...).

2) There is a very good market for, shall we say, 'falsified' RIAA plaques. A bit like the dodgy antiques and art works there are ways to tell but you need to be an expert and have the plaque in your sweaty palms to tell for sure. Basically though, the like the dollar bills in your pocket have an identifying line you would have a unique hologram included on a genuine RIAA award. It is changed from time-to-time and again the experts would know the difference - like a hallmark - to identify the era of production.

You'll have seen a combination of the two I'd say. A bit like old pubs and restaurants have 'genuine' reproductions of old photos and memorabilia to woe/amust the patrons, Hard Rock franchises go the same way.

That again isn't to say 'My Guy' didn't top the million as #1056 - although as I've said before it would be touch-and-go in 1964 - and there would be no doubt it has as a track in its own right over the years. The subject matter, like 'My Girl' too, made it a nice steady seller for young lovers for many years of vinyl reissues. No, I'm not going there!