"Maybe Gene can tell us if there was a reorder on this set."

Yes there was a reorder.

"TCR shows there were only 300 of the color 'lavender' made back in 1997;"

TCR is somewhat wrong.
The dark one was 200 made and the lighter one was 100 made.

"I wonder how they know that?"

Because I told them. I ordered them.
To be fair I did not know the 2nd order was different when I gave Allan the numbers made.