Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ Gold Plaque Goes to Auction
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) gold plaque signifying that Pink Floyd‘s The Dark Side of the Moon LP sold a million dollars’ worth of copies will be auctioned off by Nate D. Sanders Auctions on Thursday, June 22nd. The award was once owned by Pink Floyd‘s former keyboardist and founding member, Richard Wright, who died in 2008 at age 65.
“Pink Floyd memorabilia has been in great demand in recent months,” Nate Sanders said in a statement. “Even the Victoria & Albert Museum in London is hosting an extremely popular retrospective of this iconic band.” There is also an upcoming exhibit of Gerald Scarfe paintings for the 1982 film adaptation of The Wall slated to open in San Francisco in July.
The Dark Side of the Moon came out in 1973, reached Number One on the Billboard Albums chart and went on to sell more than 15 million copies in the U.S. alone. Last March, the console used to record the LP sold for $1.8 million – more than twice the expected price. According to Nate D. Sanders Auctions’ website, the keyboard player’s platinum plaque for The Wall went for more than $40,000 in 2005. The minimum bid for The Dark Side of the Moon gold plaque starts at $20,000.
The RIAA award also comes with a letter from Wright’s second wife, Franka Wright, that testifies to the authenticity of the plaque. “I hope anyone that has any of Rick’s items enjoys them as much as I do,” she writes.