I love a good mystery...
To extend Iggy's gauntlet, if this 10-card-strip theory is correct, then it follows that there should be *no* copies of the W553 Ruth that are hand-cut/torn on the *bottom* edge (since Ruth was the bottom card of this theoretical 10-card strip and hence always machine-cut). Likewise, there should be *no* copies of the FriSch card with hand-cut *top* edges. Has anyone ever seen anything to the contrary? The existence of a bottom-torn Ruth could indirectly imply the existence of an 11th card (and a 15-card set is back in the realm of possibilities).
Also, a couple of pages I came across that are consistent with there being only 10 W553s. (Sorry if these are old news-- but this is all new to me)
Here's an auction from Aug 2010 for a "partial set" of 10 W553s-- can you guess which 5 are missing from the set?
http://www.legendaryauctions.com/Lot...x?lotid=110965
And this site has prices (based on previous sales?) for precisely the 10 cards we're talking about (and a blank for the other 5-- none ever sold?):
http://www.vintagecardprices.com/set...lue-Prices.htm
Mike