Album value
Fleetwood Mac — Tusk.
First-press value.
Fleetwood Mac's double-album follow-up to Rumours came out October 12, 1979 on Warner Bros. Recorded mostly at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, it cost about $1.4 million, a record for a rock album at the time. It topped the UK chart and reached No. 4 in the US. The original US set, 2HS 3350, came with four printed card inner sleeves, and complete copies are what buyers pay for.
01
The first-press, by the numbers
Released 1979. The US first-press shipped on the Warner Bros. speckled custom label.
- US stereo catalog: 2HS 3350
- UK first-press: Warner Bros. (UK) K 66088
- RIAA certification: 2× Platinum (US)
The center label is only the first clue. See the full Warner Bros. Burbank palm-tree identification guide.
Compare this copy with the artist's other collectible originals. See the Fleetwood Mac vinyl value profile.
02
How to confirm a first-press
Three things separate an original from a later reissue beyond the catalog number.
- 2HS 3350 on the labels, with a $15.98 price code on the spine
- Four card inner sleeves numbered 1 to 4: two hold the discs and two slightly larger ones hold those. Missing sleeves cut the price
- Many early jackets have the dog-and-leg cover photo embossed; some 1979 copies have a flat, non-embossed jacket
- The dead wax is stamped MASTERED BY CAPITOL. A star and 'LW' in the dead wax mean Los Angeles stampers; a rifle symbol means the Winchester plant. Record club copies print 'Mfd. by RCA Music Service' and R 234291 on the back
The matrix runout etched in the dead wax is the definitive identifier when label and catalog number both look era-correct.
03
What it's worth
Recent sold-listing ranges. Pressing, condition, and current market all move the number.
| Pressing & condition | Recent sold |
|---|---|
| 1979 first-press (NM) | $25–$50 |
| 1979 first-press (VG+) | $10–$18 |
| Reissue (any later catalog), NM | $25–$40 |
What pushes to the top: Embossed jacket with all four numbered inner sleeves and clean discs; the 2021 reissue (R1 3350) sells for more than most worn originals.
Sources: Discogs sold listings (90-day window), Popsike.com auction archive, Goldmine Record Album Price Guide.
04
If you have one
Pull the record. Check the label first against the Warner Bros. speckled custom label design. Confirm the catalog number on the label matches 2HS 3350. Then check the matrix runout in the dead wax. All three lining up is the first-press confirmation.
Or scan with Crown Vinyl. The app reads the label, catalog number, and matrix runout from a single photograph, returns the exact pressing, and pulls a current value from recent real sales. Free on the App Store.
Keep checking the shelf
More first pressings worth knowing.
Nearby years, matching labels, and more records by the same artist.
1975 · Reprise tan steamboat label
Fleetwood Mac — Fleetwood Mac
1975 first press: $10–$20 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1979 · Epic
Michael Jackson — Off the Wall
1979 first press: $15–$35 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1979 · Chrysalis white-to-blue fade with butterfly logo
Pat Benatar — In the Heat of the Night
1979 first press: $3–$8 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressingA few questions
The ones that come up.
Check the label design (Warner Bros. speckled custom label), the catalog number (2HS 3350), and the matrix runout etched in the dead wax. All three need to line up for a confirmed first-press. 2HS 3350 on the labels, with a $15.98 price code on the spine.
Embossed jacket with all four numbered inner sleeves and clean discs; the 2021 reissue (R1 3350) sells for more than most worn originals brings the top of the NM range, typically $25–$50.
Barely. Reissues of Tusk trade for about $25–40 near mint, close to a near-mint 1979 2HS 3350 at $25–50. A worn original often sells for less than a clean reissue, so condition matters more than age here.
Tusk was issued in stereo only as a first-press. The 2HS 3350 pressing is the reference.
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