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Scot ReaderTed,
If, as appears evident, certain subjects are not possible with Sovereign then I guess they would by definition have been "short printed" relative to their counterparts that are possible with Sovereign. For example, in my survey 5.7% of 350-only subjects had the Sovereign back. It stands to reason then that if a 350-only subject is not possible with Sovereign then that subject was "short printed" by some 6% relative to 350-only subjects that are possible with Sovereign just by virtue of its unavailability with the Sovereign back.
But I understand you to be saying something more, which is that subjects that are not possible with Sovereign may also be less plentiful with other backs, for example, Piedmont. I would say that in some cases this may be true, but I would be hesitant to draw a bright line. For example, I have found Maddox and Miller (Pittsburg) to be particularly plentiful with Piedmont. Indeed, I believe these subjects were long-printed with Piedmont due to the Pirates' victory in the 1909 World Series. My survey data and the PSA population report bear out that these subjects (as well as Abstein and Phillippe) are ubiquitous.
Scot