Andy and Jeff, here is the story on the Thorpe cards, which I've been chasing for about a decade [damn, I'm getting old]:
There were at least three and possibly four strip cards made from the same art [I can confirm the existence of three but the 4th is likely]:
1. A large set sized roughly the same as a contemporary baseball card [possibly issued in vertical strips of 3 like a W517];
2. A strip set sold in vertical strips of ten;
3. A narrower strip set issued attached to a "tab" which may have been a redemption device; and
4. A monochromatic issue with a plain background, also issued in vertical strips, that is slightly shorter than the "normal" issue.
Above is the Exhibit Thorpe side by side with two of the four types of strip cards made with the same art, the large strip card (middle) and the tab-sized, left [tab missing]. The "normal" small card is the same height as the tab sized but is a bit wider, and the monochromatic issue is shorter. Here is the Thorpe with tab intact [BTW, I am chasing one of these, so if anyone has one for sale, I'm your huckleberry]
A companion card you may want to hunt for is this card of cowboy actor William Desmond. The Indian chief on the left is Jim Thorpe. The other Indian in the image went by the stage name "Chief Thunderbird" (real name Richard Davis Thunderbird). The card helps narrow down the issue date. Thorpe, Thunderbird and Desmond appeared together in the 1931 film "Battling With Buffalo Bill.
