40,000 Stolen ‘Bluey’ Collectors Coins Found by IRL ‘Strike Force Bandit’

Australian cops made a big bust recently by recovering over 40,000 limited-edition coins minted to honor the beloved Australian animated children’s series Bluey. The coins were found in Wentworthvile, Sydney, Australia, and they were stored in plastic bags directly from the Royal Australian Mint three months after they had been initially stolen.

For those unaware, Bluey is a children’s animated TV show that began in October 2018 and very quickly became one of the most popular kids series on Earth. And there’s a good reason why: it’s one of the most spectacularly written TV shows currently on the air, including ones made for adults. Episodes are around 11 minutes in length. They don’t pander to children and refuse to insult their intelligence. Episodes often deal with weighty themes but handle them in a way that both kids and adults can find entertaining. Anyway, Bluey is actually pretty good.

To honor Bluey’s spectacular worldwide success, the Australian Mint was planning to release these limited-edition Australian one-dollar coins (the equivalent of around $0.65 US) but then around 63,000 of them were stolen from a warehouse on July 12, 2024. In response, the New South Wales police launched a special investigation unit called Strike Force Bandit, cutely named after the father character in Bluey, to find the coins printed with pictures of the characters from the show.

Now, Strike Force Bandit has made three arrests. First was a 44-year-old named Steven Nielsen, who was an employee at the warehouse from where the coins were stolen, then an accomplice named Nassar Kanj. That led them to a 27-year-old woman named Christina Vale, who allegedly acted as the getaway driver in the cartoon coin heist. She was arrested the same day the coins were recovered. All three have since been charged for their thefts.

The coins are technically worth one Australian dollar. But their limited-edition status bumps up these “Bluey Dollarbucks,” as they are officially called, in the eyes of collectors, who’ll often buy them online for up to 10 times their face value.