It's not uncommon to find old "snapshot-type" photos that were re-shot from earlier photos or print sources, or occasionally reproduced from the original negative. Many of these fall into the "card-sized" range, and quality of the image can vary greatly depending on the quality of the original image, the skill of the photographer reproducing it, and how many generations removed it is from the original negative. I've seen some well-known Conlon images reproduced this way that were so washed out that you could barely make out the subject. Your Tobin looks very clear, and may have been produced from the original negative, or at worst be a 2nd Generation photo.
As for whether it's a "card" or a "photo," I'm not sure it has to be one or the other. Plenty of "card" issues were produced using actual photographs. Maybe the difference is whether they were produced as part of a series, or produced in greater quantities?
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