Hi Walden, yes we have a few sets that are seen with alternate trays, and whereas some of those shown in the Mysteries albums are clearly mismatched (what we refer to as marriages) others may include variant trays by the same manufacturer. I suspect there are various reasons for this: (1) that different buyers had different preferences based on what they thought would sell in their locality - e.g. in the UK we mainly see large trays, whereas in many other European countries they have a narrower type of tray and often no candlesticks; (2) that some buyers bought individual pieces and made up their own sets; (3) that some sets were made up only for certain buyers to give them something different to other outlets selling similar pieces; (4) that folks selling "sets" now put together pieces that look to be the same colour and sell them as a set.
The bottom line in respect of points 1, 2 and 3 is, of course, that what the buyer wants they get, and we do find that sometimes these don't match the catalogued patterns. In respect of point 4, many of the mystery photos come from folks who have bought the "set" or are selling the "set" online so we cannot be sure what piece should belong with what other piece/s, so it's very much a voyage of discovery, and a work in progress still.
By the way, I love your photos!