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Posted By: Hankron

I will point out that, when there is a variation, it is common to say one is the 'standard' and the other one with the small difference is the varation from the standard. Commonly, the standard or 'base' card is judged to be the one that came first, is most plentiful and was figuratively whole. In classical music, you often hear of 'theme and variation'-- meaning, the basic msuic followed by different versions with intentional embelishments or other changes .... The problem with old baseball cards and similar, it's often impossible to determine which example came first, what changes where intentional and why. In these grey or unknowable cases, the hobby often comes up with its own definitions and conceits ('We have decided to call this card the regular card and this card the variation, and not the other way around'), which serve a practical function but collectors should realize involve heavy doses arbitrariness and shouldn't be taken too seriously ... For all hobbies and fields, most generally used definitions are there for a matter of convenience (usually to facilitate communication) and are not literally correct.