ITALY 2003

Italy had a new kit manufacturer in Puma, so Corinthian were askd to produce a set of 12 figures to mark the release of this new kit for the Azzurri.

 

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The Italy 2003 series was released in the 7th of July 2003, with 9 being in home kit and 3 in away kit. This series was predominantly released in Japan, where Italy and Serie A figures were incredibly popular, however Corinthian did secure limited stock which was made available to UK collectors, however the product was not sent to any retailers, it was only available from Corinthian Direct.

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The figure of midfield general Gennaro Gattuso sold out within 3 months, with his popularity largely attributed to his inspirational performances for AC Milan in the Champions League.

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With regards the Platinum Packs, the collector card that comes with them states that no more than 360 were made, but the exact number has never actually been revealed. This is only speculation but my personal opinion is that it was most likely less than 100 of each, given how scarce they are and how seldom they actually appear for sale, I feel if 360 were made of each they would be much more prevalent. The Platinum Packs were given away as part of the Japan Collector Club Membership package, which is another factor in explaining their rarity.

 

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The figures were released as Blister Packs coming with individually numbered collector cards, with Platinum Packs also being produced, however these Platinum Packs were not individually numbered and came with generic Platinum Pack collector card.