Pearl Jam MTV VMA ‘Moonman’ for ‘Jeremy’ Goes Up for Sale

Back in 1993, Pearl Jam capped off an amazing album and tour cycle for the Ten album by taking home a slew of MTV Video Music awards for their video for "Jeremy" and now one of those awards is up for sale.

The "moonman" is one of several Pearl Jam memorabilia items currently up for sale via Rockaway Records, who recently acquired the statue which was given for the Best Metal / Hard Rock Video back in 1993.

The groundbreaking video centered around the events of a school shooting and it was brought to life by video director Mark Pellington and the emotional and impactful performance of Eddie Vedder in the clip. The song and video first surfaced in the summer of 1992, with "Jeremy" being the third song to arrive from their future Diamond-selling debut album.

In addition to the Best Metal / Hard Rock Video, Pearl Jam would net four VMAs in total, including wins for Best Group Video, Best Direction and the ceremony's top honor, Best Video of the Year. The band's manager, Kelly Curtis, initially received the Best Metal / Hard Rock Video honor for the group, though the band later appeared to accept the Best Video of the Year "moonman" at the end of the evening.

The Impact of the "Jeremy" Video on Pearl Jam

The value of the Pearl Jam "moonman" trophy may be a little higher considering the rarity of Pearl Jam videos in the years to come. The group's struggles with fame and how they handled it have been well documented, and the overwhelming success of the "Jeremy" video influenced how they would handle music videos going forward.

In a 1993 interview with Rolling Stone, bassist Jeff Ament recalled a conversation with fellow musician Mark Eitzel, who told him, "I liked your hit, but the video sucked. It ruined my vision of the song." Ament said that conversation stuck with him, remarking, "Ten years from now, I don't want people to remember our songs as videos." It would be five more years before they made another video for "Do the Evolution," and their video output was limited for quite a large period of their career.

What About the Pearl Jam "Moonman" Currently Up for Sale?

“MTV ‘Moonmen’ are incredibly rare," notes Rockaway Records' Wayne Johnson. "They are made in tiny quantities, and we have only had a handful since they were first handed out in 1984. The statue for Pearl Jam's 'Jeremy' is one of the coolest and rarest Pearl Jam items we have ever offered for sale.”

According to the description, the "original 1993 12" tall 'Moonman' award for best Metal/Hard Rock Video for Pearl Jam's 'Jeremy' presented to their longtime former manager Kelly Curtis" is "a beautiful vintage one of a kind award statue." Other notes include: "Some of the paint on the 'M' of "MTV" has flaked off. Two cracks on front and back of the base, by the planted foot, appears to be a manufacturing flaw because the figure is still very secure." The item is currently on sale for $20,000.

Additional Pearl Jam items currently up for sale from Rockaway Records include a Fender Telecaster signed on the white pickguard by Stone Gossard, and a limited 2009 Backspacer translucent (semi-transparent) vinyl LP – one of only 2 copies known to exist.

READ MORE: 30 Rock Songs From the '90s You'll Recognize From the First Few Notes

Visit Rockaway.com to see all of the music memorabilia items up for sale, and check out the Pearl Jam MTV VMA Moonman statue here.

Pearl Jam, "Jeremy"