RIAA 1987 Gold Sales Award presented to Michael Diamond for the Beastie Boys 1986 Columbia/Def Jam album “Licensed to Ill”
ESTIMATE $3,000 - 5,000 USD
Released in November, 1986, “Licensed to Ill” became one of the best-selling debuts in the history of Columbia Records and was the first Rap album to top the Billboard chart. Its heavy rotation on MTV helped to introduce Rap to a wider, more rock-oriented audience was a catalyst for Rap and Hip Hop to be seen as more than strictly niche in its appeal.
RIAA 1987 Gold Sales Award presented to Hester Diamond for the Beastie Boys 1986 album “Licensed to Ill”
ESTIMATE $2,000 - 3,000
BPI 1987 Gold Sales Award presented to Michael Diamond for the 1986 Beastie Boys album "Licensed to Ill"
ESTIMATE $2,000 - 3,000
The album that helped introduce Rap to a UK audience, its popularity was partly fueled by a raucous tour that made the band tabloid staples. The press covered their boisterous, beer-spraying onstage antics with the same "concern" as they had for Punk concerts a decade earlier. Sales went up accordingly.
RIAA Gold Sales Award presented to Michael Diamond for the Beastie Boys 1989 album “Paul’s Boutique”
ESTIMATE $3,000 - 5,000
The Beastie Boys released their landmark sophomore effort in July,1989 and it was certified gold the same year, in spite of minimal promotion by Capitol Records. Produced by the Dust Brothers and making early and innovative use of sampling, the album made clear that the band was much more than one hit wonders and proved enormously influential.
RIAA Platinum sales award presented to Mike Diamond for the Beastie Boys 1989 album “Paul’s Boutique”
ESTIMATE $3,000 - 5,000
"Paul's Boutique" is now seen as one of the most influential albums of the Rap genre, particularly with its introduction of the use of the sample as an art in itself.
RIAA Platinum sales award presented to Hester Diamond for the Beastie Boys 1994 Grand Royal Records album “Ill Communication”
ESTIMATE $2,000 - 3,000
"Ill Communication" used less sampling and more live instruments to deftly mix the Beastie Boys' influences—hip hop, punk rock, funk and jazz. It became their second number-one Billboard album and their second triple platinum album. Spike Jonze directed the video for the album's lead single "Sabotage."
RIAA Gold Sales Award presented to Hester Diamond for the Beastie Boys 1992 album “Check Your Head”
ESTIMATE $2,000 - 3,000
The Beastie Boys stepped away from heavy sampling on their third studio album, returning to playing guitar, drums and bass live in the studio for the first time since their early punk EP days. This partial return to their roots confused some, but those that didn't get it at first caught up later and it is now seen as an essential Alt-Rock album of the 90s.
BPI 1995 Gold Sales Award presented to Mike Diamond for the Beastie Boys 1994 album “Ill Communication”
ESTIMATE $2,000 - 3,000
"Ill Communication" used less sampling and more live instruments to deftly mix the Beastie Boys' influences - from hip hop to funky Miles Davis. Spike Jonze directed the video for the album's lead single "Sabotage."
MTV 1998-1999 Video Award (“VMA”) presented to Mike Diamond for the Beastie Boys 1998 promotional music video “Intergalactic”
ESTIMATE $7,000 - 10,000
Directed by Adam Yauch under the pseudonym Nathanial Hörnblowér and using Japanese Kaiju films (giant monster movies) for inspiration, the video became an MTV staple, winning the VMA "Moonman" for Best Hip Hop Video.
Gold Sales award presented to Mike D for the Beastie Boys 1999 anthology album “The Sounds of Science" for more 100,000 copies sold in the United Kingdom.
ESTIMATE $1,000 - 1,500
The band's first anthology, 43 tracks including greatest hits, B-sides, and previously unreleased material, ranging from their debut EP Polly Wog Stew up to the then current album Hello Nasty.
RIAA Platinum sales award presented to Michael Diamond for the Beastie Boys 2004 album “To the Five Boroughs”
ESTIMATE $3,000 - 5,000
“To the Five Boroughs” was the Beastie Boys sixth album and debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart, their third album to do so. It was lead by the single “Ch–Check It Out.”
MTV 2009 Video Award (“VMA”) presented to Mike Diamond for the Beastie Boys 1994 promotional music video “Sabotage”
ESTIMATE $7,000 - 10,000
Sabotage, featuring the band in 70s cop outfits, doing their own stunt driving and directed with a kinetic energy by Spike Jonze, was originally nominated in 5 categories at the 1994 MTV VMAs. It lost in all of them, a huge oversight for a video that has come to be seen as a classic of the genre. MTV sought to correct their mistake more than a decade later with the presentation of the present "Should have won a Moon man" award.
“Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” limited edition action figures
ESTIMATE $2,000 - 3,000
Set of limited edition action figures produced by NOWHERE LTD./A Bathing Ape, with the proceeds to aid children’s cancer charities and coinciding with the release of the trio’s 2011 “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” music video. Directed by Spike Jonze, the GI Joe-inspired video portrayed the band in action figure form battling enemy soldiers. Each figure measure 11.5", and includes additional outfits and accessories.
RIAA Multi-Platinum Diamond sales award presented to Hester Diamond for the Beastie Boys 1986 album “Licensed to Ill”
ESTIMATE $3,000 - 5,000
While the present award is for Multi-Platinum status recognizing "more than 3,000,000 copies sold," current RIAA sales figures note "Licensed to Ill" as Diamond, with more than 10,000,000 sold of the Beastie Boys landmark debut.
Click through the slideshow above to explore an array of Beastie Boys memorabilia from Fearless: The Collection of Hester Diamond Part II (sale N10612). All but two of the memorabilia lots are offered without reserve and all of the seller’s proceeds will benefit the Good Eats Program (www.goodeatsprogram.org).