1963 Topps checklist question

[toppcat]

Originally Posted by BillP

I think this really get me closer to where I was, 7th series begins at #512. The checklist starts at #507. Why would a dealer start with #512 unless that's what he opened from wax or vending. I've been in the 512-576 camp for a while. I will say that I can't figure out why #496 dalkowski rookie is always so high. Up until a month ago I was convinced that this was an undocumented SP. Now I think it's the 66 #591 treatment or someone is hoarding again (????).
I will bring up again for those still feeling the SP exist that the color scheme or blues and reds in the becket sp's doesn't line up for me.
Get thread and since I'm a 63 fan/collector really enjoy the insight.

billp

I think the Dalkowski demand was just due to his semi-mythical status as the ultimate fireballer.

I don't think the full picture on series has been developed yet for 1961-66 (except 63 now) as they all kind of followed the same pattern. It may include 1967 but Topps changed the first series checklist endpoint # that year, so it might be a new pattern started there (1st baseball set developed and produced solely after the move to Duryea in early 1966). Checklists never really matched the actual series until 1967

I'm working on a long term pricing research project (hence all the TTS scans) and much of this stuff was never properly sorted out from the time of issue until, well, now. Most pricing structures for the Topps sets issued in series really came into focus during a 15 month or so period from mid 1977 until the end of 1978 and then once the first Sport-Americana guide came out, it just took off from there. Beckett did two price surveys before the first SA book was published, one in 1977 and another in '78 (both results published in The Trader Speaks) and they basically just tracked set prices. The first had 343 respondents, the second just had 201, although it was an update of the first one.

Lew Lipset was about the first guy to focus on and write about star singles pricing in a major way in his "Lew's Corner" column every month in TTS, although George Lyons sometimes did so as well in "The Lyon's Roar".