[nolemmings]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Todd—my guess is that near sets started as full sets where some cards were subsequently lost. I also believe that some blank backs came from post 1916 unsold uncut sheets being cut up.
I have also never been impressed by blank backs—like all Ruth rookies they are desirable, but they are not that scarce. Ad backs, on the other hand, are both scarce and desirable.

Jay you may be right, as these are the prevailing theories surrounding m101-5, although there is room for extra or other explanations. I just read the auction write-up and see that the young man collected while growing up in Chicago. He could have obtained his cards from the Chicago Examiner ads or from Mendelsohn's Chicago offices directly. Still, the grouping of the remaining cards may provide insight. If for example the only cards missing are sequential- say the last twenty or the first twenty– it may be that these were distributed in series ala many of the m101-4s. Incidentally and FWIW, I believe the Ruth looks more like an m101-4 than m101-5, given the vertical pressure marks found on cards in the m101-4 set (also note the lack of the tell-tale print line from the right border to Ruth’s hip that is often if not usually seen on m101-5 Ruths). However, I was told that the rest of the group is indeed from m101-5, so maybe this was an intermediate print-run from the end of m101-5 to m101-4. As usual, I am geeking out over these things.