A Sydney man has been charged with allegedly stealing $600,000 worth of limited edition Bluey coins prior to their official release.
Police will allege the 47-year-old man worked at the Wetherill Park warehouse where the $1 coins were being stored.
The man allegedly located and stole the packages from the back of a truck on June 23, 2024.
Police allege the man took 63,000 Bluey coins, which he then sold online for 10 times their face value.
Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Robbery and Serious Crime Squad under Strike Force Bandit executed a search warrant at Sefton, in Western Sydney.
Officers found and seized 189 unreleased Bluey coins, plus some electronic devices.
The 47-year-old was then arrested at a home in Westmead on Wednesday morning and taken to Granville Police Station.
He was charged with three counts of break and enter.
Police allege the man (pictured right) took the 63,000 limited edition Bluey coins worth $600,000 before the items were officially released
Officers found and seized 189 unreleased Bluey coins (pictured) after they carried out a search warrant at a property in western Sydney
The man allegedly sold the coins (pictured) online for 10 times their face value
He was refused bail and will appear before Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday.
Strike Force Bandit investigations will continue.
In June this year, the Royal Australian Mint separately released three uncirculated Bluey coins featuring characters Bluey, The Heelers, and The Grannies.
The Dollarbucks coins paid homage to the iconic kid’s show created by Australian animator Joe Brumm, which rocketed to international success after it aired for the first time in October 2018.
At the time of the release, the highly-anticipated tender – which cost $20 for one coin, or $55 for a three-coin set – sold for nearly $900 on eBay.
