There is typically no premium for lower case vs. all caps. My belief is that the lower case cards came out when the high series cards did since the high series only comes in lower case format. It is my belief that the lower case versions are scarcer.
There is anywhere from almost no premium to as much as 1.5x to 2x premium on Sample cards on commons. Many of the more expensive superstars such as DiMaggio or Williams carry no premium on the Sample version. Salesmen had samples to hand out at candy stores to entice the store owners (and their customer base) to buy them.
The high numbers are substantially more difficult to acquire. a quick check of the population reports for SGC or PSA will give you a relative idea of how much scarcer they are. In my opinion, Samples are scarcer even than high numbers, but scarcity alone does not drive price.
Lastly, as to the Cubs, my guess is that since Wrigley owned the Cubs, he didn't allow a rival chewing gum company to have pictures of his players.
Anyone else feel free to correct me or add to this.
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