Great research! Finally, some light has been shed on how rare Alfie really is. However, I would like to challenge the statement that it is the fourth rarest motorized Thomas item ever. Here is my argument:
I feel there is both theoretical and experimental rarity. We have seen (per your research) 17 physical copies of Alfie. As far as I know, we have seen less than 10 Blushing Thomases. Therefore, even though less Alfies (~300) were originally produced than Blushing Thomases (360), meaning that Alfie would theoretically be rarer, one could say that the Blushing Thomas is still rarer right now, because fewer of them have ever been found. (A little off topic, but by my argument, the 60th Anniversary Thomas is rarer than the Silver Thomas.)
Also, how would the Snowy Freddie fit into the rarest list? Only three copies have been spotted, and we still do not know how widely it was released (or if it was released at all).
I feel there is both theoretical and experimental rarity. We have seen (per your research) 17 physical copies of Alfie. As far as I know, we have seen less than 10 Blushing Thomases. Therefore, even though less Alfies (~300) were originally produced than Blushing Thomases (360), meaning that Alfie would theoretically be rarer, one could say that the Blushing Thomas is still rarer right now, because fewer of them have ever been found. (A little off topic, but by my argument, the 60th Anniversary Thomas is rarer than the Silver Thomas.)
Also, how would the Snowy Freddie fit into the rarest list? Only three copies have been spotted, and we still do not know how widely it was released (or if it was released at all).
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