In 2004, Shadows Fall released The War Within. An unspecified amount of time later, the band had sold 250,000, which as well as know is the halfway mark to having a gold record in the eyes of the RIAA. So why not celebrate a pretty serious milestone anyway? The band didn't, but Century Media sent the band a half-gold record, which is pretty funny but also a nice gesture.
I'd have preferred a quarter platinum record, but whatever.