Denny,
On my '50 with a 3 speed, the cover did have a "full" gasket like the one in your picture, only without the shifter cutout. On my '51 with a 4 speed, it only had the strips like Chris said his '53 had. Maybe Chevy switched to the strip gaskets around that time as a cost cutter. Another mystery we may never know the answer to.
Bob
