I with @Nick SouleI don't see Ashford dealing with different plants, not for Detroit and Chicago distribution. The non stamp copies being an oversight which isn't beyond the realms of possibility given how busy they were with tight deadlines to meet.
Think you are confusing Alcor Records with Alco Pressing plant. It was Alco that used the Delta numbering system the same as Monarch. Alco did many of the Doré releases.
There was a market before eBay you know. I've seen plenty of copies sold privately too, sold copies myself. The first archer press certainly sold well enough to warrant further presses in other areas. Going round in circles here.
I doubt Archer or any other plant would turn down any order, big or small. There is no knowing how many were pressed of Love You Baby, one can only assume it sold well to warrant further presses.
The stampers do not last forever as you probably well know. So depending on how many were pressed in the initial run, a second stamper would be made for the next run.
Not necessarily the release date. depending on how Jack promoted it, presumably by himself to begin with it might take some time to get it hawked round radio stations and to distributors.
Maybe. If mechanical like many plants then for each batch of labels they would generally be in the same place and therefore the stamp in the same place. You only have to read manships guide where he describes the place in hours for where the stamp is for some presses.