We’ve all heard the tales of adult Disney fans, but hold onto your hats — adult Bluey fans are an entirely different story!
It all started with scalpers flipping $19 gnomes for a jaw-dropping $900 and selling collectible “Dollarbucks” online for outrageous profits.
But now, things have taken a wild turn: one guy has been charged with allegedly stealing and selling a whopping $600,000 worth of uncirculated and limited edition Bluey coins!
Back in June, the Royal Australian Mint announced a special run of Bluey “Dollarbucks” collector coins, which aren’t the same as the stolen coins which were meant to begin circulation in September.
These coins, inspired by the beloved children’s cartoon, were set to hit the market in September, with 100,000 coins planned for circulation.
However, in a twist of fate, some coins made their way into the wild a bit too early. Police report that 63,000 coins were stolen from a warehouse in western Sydney in June, long before their official release date.
Enter “Strike Force Bandit”—yes, you read that right!
Strike Force Bandit 🐶 pic.twitter.com/iEYJgOKOF9
— Daley Pearson (@Daley_Pearson) August 7, 2024
NSW Police swiftly launched this operation to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the coins, cleverly named after Bluey’s iconic four-legged dad.
A 47-year-old warehouse worker was arrested on Wednesday morning after a staggering 500kg pallet containing 64,000 of those coveted $1 coins went missing.
But the plot thickens! Police recently tracked down some of the stolen coins with a collector who had unknowingly acquired some of the missing loot.
Detective Superintendent Joseph Doueihi revealed, “Further investigations identified a 47-year-old male from a Westmead address that was involved in the theft. We will allege that he worked at the secure storage facility during the heist.”
According to the police, this crafty individual moved the coins from the secure warehouse and was supported by two accomplices in this audacious theft.
Just hours after the heist, he allegedly started selling the Bluey coins online for as much as 10 times their original value ($1) with reports that the limited-edition coins have been spotted on eBay.
The other two Bluey-buck bandits are still on the loose, along with a significant portion of the 63,000 missing coins.
