Styx – Cornerstone (1979) – Factory Sealed & Gold Stamp Promo

$

45

Exceptional time capsule for classic rock and vinyl discographers: an original, fully factory-sealed 1979 U.S. first pressing of Styx’s landmark album, Cornerstone, released on A&M Records (SP-3711). This elite copy features the official, highly coveted A&M Records gold promotional stamp embossed on the jacket, identifying it as an industry-distributed early production copy.
This is the historic, multi-platinum album that beautifully captures Styx at their absolute commercial peak. It features their massive, Billboard #1 power ballad "Babe," alongside the hard-rocking radio staples "Borrowing Time," "Boat on the River," and the electrifying "Lights."
Because this copy has remained completely undisturbed in its original 1979 factory shrink wrap for nearly five decades, the heavy analog vinyl inside is guaranteed to be in unplayed, immaculate Mint (M) condition. Cut from early generation master tapes at Sterling Sound by the legendary mastering engineer Ted Jensen, this vintage pressing carries his coveted "STERLING" and "TJ" stamps in the unexposed deadwax. Collectors actively hunt these early industry promos because they were struck from the earliest, freshest master stampers, promising massive dynamic headroom and warm low-end clarity that compressed modern digital streaming cannot replicate.
CONDITION GRADING:
Vinyl Disc Condition: Mint (M). Still Sealed. Never extracted from its original packaging, never handled by human hands, and entirely unplayed. Completely free from spindle wear, paper scuffs, environmental dust, or fingerprint degradation.
Jacket Cover Sleeve: Near Mint (NM). Beautifully preserved, thick rigid cardboard construction with striking, sharp 90-degree corners. The spine is perfectly squared with crisp, flawless factory typography. Print finishes remain extraordinarily vibrant with zero ultraviolet sun-fading or color bleeding. Absolutely NO promotional punch-holes, cut-out saw-marks, or corner-clips. There is a small split in shrink wrap and jacket cover at the top.
Shrink Wrap Integrity: Crystal clear, original factory heat-shrink seal. No compression splits, stress tears, or ring-wear scuffing. Includes original factory "breathe holes" in the shrink wrap, validating its untampered authenticity.