Why are 57 Topps Checklist Cards More valuable than 56?
 

The title says it all: why are the 56 checklists comparatively affordable, while the 57s are the most valuable in the set, more than the Mantle. Why is this? I'd expect the 56s to be pricier, since the larger size cards are more prone to condition issues than the smaller size. And there were only two in the 56 set, both of which contained different series, so I'd expect they'd have been more liable to be marked up, than 57s, whose series overlapped.Was a horde of high grade 56s found? Or was it something else that explains why the 57s are worth so much more?

I'd imagine it's just how scarce the '57 checklists are by comparison.

Except for '57 checklist 1 (which costs the least), there are only around 20-40% as many graded copies out there of each checklist as the '56s. And each seems to be priced in-line with how may copies exist for that particular one

Ah see that's just it, why were fewer printed in 57 than 56? Were they shortprints, or printed separately from the rest of the cards, and in smaller numbers? One would think from a marketing perspective, you'd want the checklist cards to be readily available so kids would know how to locate their favorite players (and keep buying).

Yeah but not numbered as part of the set AND who wants a checklist card when you can have the great photo cards of 57. I wonder how many just got tossed on the spot.

And Dave Hornish probably has better conjecture on this than I do but if you notice, from 1958 going forward the checklist cards are part of the set. 58-60 on the back of Team Cards and then 61-on as separate cards. I wonder just how much feedback Topps got on putting those "worthless" cards into the packs which technically were not part of said set.