I have a slightly different perspective on the Wacky lineage. I would classify the Die-cuts and Wacky-Ads as "Golden Age", as those came on the tail end of a style that encompassed "Mr. Foney's Funnies" and "MY Valentines" (I think that was what they were called), and that 1950s/1960s style of design and comedy that initially launched Wacky Packages, but that Wacky Packages and Mad Magazine and the 1970's more direct irreverence style of comedy and design would squelch. A show like "Laugh-in" started out with that psychedelic mid-60s art design, and an almost 'vaudeville' style of sketch comedy. But eventually it grew into politically-charged, more debauchery-friendly, slapstick-less satire. So, I'd call the 1973-1977, (including the 79 reprints, and 1982, 85, UK, Irish, etc.) sticker series the "Silver Age", as that age really resonated with kids and ballooned in popularity, like the superhero comic books of the 1960s (silver age). Then, when ANS came around to revamp a beloved collectible from the past, the style was different. Good or bad doesn't matter as much as different. It appealed more to the Garbage Pail Kids generation that followed ours, and was trying to lure a brand new generation of kid, which expected shiny cards, with art on both sides, and a much larger color-pallet than we grew up with in both Wackys and Comic Books. When I look at a comic book from the 70s or 80s, I have a similar visual reaction to when I look at ANS. Not negative or positive. The gags are still gags, and the content speaks for itself. But they just look and feel different. So, to me, ANS is clearly "Bronze". A very long long Bronze, too. It's definitely beat the earlier series' runs. Sandwiched in the middle was the odd 1991/92 stuff. Not sure really where that fits, but it was definitely a transitional set that looks more like ANS than its predecessors. And whatever comes next after ANS, if anything does, will probably be either totally retro or totally different, I would think.
I mean, a lot of INDIVIDUAL titles in ANS actually FIT with the original 1-16 titles even more than some of the 1-16's do. When the painting style and gag style match up, it's visceral. It would be interesting to find someone who collected in the 1970s, but never saw any of the ANS titles... and feed them a few ANS titles printed on tan-back stock, telling him they were from a lost 17th series or were rare variations or something. I think there are definitely a lot of ANS titles that would fool an original collector. And if you found someone who only ever had 100 Wackys total, and gave them Cricket Lighter, or 6Urp, or Sugarmess... they'd probably think they were knockoffs. So, it's all relative, really. We should all create our own "Fantasy Football Wacky Series" one of these days... The best set of 30 Wackys (or 33), from ANY set, ANY era.
Anyway, that's my 2˘ (well, more like 24,000˘ with my word-count, sorry).