New member and M101-4 questions

[tcirillo]

Hi everyone…I just joined the forums last week and have been amazed at the wealth of knowledge on this site. My collecting history has been off and on but pretty steady since 2012 when I started to focus on the Brooklyn Dodgers. For the last few years, my interest in pre-war cards has been growing.

Since every thread needs a card, I offer my first two M101-4s. A blank back Larry Cheney and a Sporting News Nap Rucker. Since receiving the cards I have been doing a lot of research on this series which is what introduced me to Net54.

scan - fronts2.jpg
Scans (Backs)2R.jpg

Card Stock - Color Resized.jpg

I do have a couple of questions:

1. Both cards seem to be printed on a slightly different card stock. Both cards have a similar gloss and texture but the Cheney has a two-toned color while the Rucker is single-toned and a bit brighter/whiter. From pictures online the two-toned color seems typical...is the single-tone color typical? Is the single-tone color only found on certain cards?

2. I understand that older cards will vary in size. The Rucker measures 3/32” narrow. Is that a common size discrepancy within this set?

I apologize if these questions have been answered before...

Thanks,
Tom