NSW Police charge man over alleged theft of 63,000 unreleased Bluey 'dollarbucks'

NSW Police said they would allege the man stolen the unreleased coins, based on the children's television series Bluey, from the back of a truck.

NSW Police have arrested a man over the alleged theft of Bluey coins produced by the Australian Mint. Source: Supplied / NSW Police Force/Facebook

A man has been charged after allegedly stealing tens of thousands of limited edition coins based on the hit children's television series Bluey.

NSW Police said on Wednesday the 47-year-old man had been arrested under Strike Force Bandit.

Bandit is the name of Bluey's father in the cartoon show.

The coins, produced by the Australian Mint, were meant to enter circulation in September. Source: Supplied / NSW Police Force/Facebook

Some 63,000 — about 500 kilograms — of the unreleased $1 coins were stored in a warehouse in the western Sydney suburb of Wetherill Park in late June for two days, according to police.

Police will allege in court that the 47-year-old was an employee at the warehouse and stole the packages from the back of a truck on 23 June.

"We will allege he was aware the consignment contained Australian currency, and that he then facilitated the theft of that currency," Detective Superintendent Joseph Doueihi told reporters on Wednesday.

Police will also allege the man sold the coins online hours after he stole them and that they were now being sold online for 10 times their face value.

Bluey (centre) and Bandit (left) in an episode of the show. Credit: ABC iView

Known as Bluey dollarbucks, the coins were produced by the Australian Mint and were meant to enter circulation in September, Doueihi said.

Doueihi said only a small number of the coins had been accounted for.

He said that during the investigation police had found an "innocent", genuine coin collector was selling some of the coins.

"[They] had innocently come into possession of those items," Doueihi said.

Police executed a search warrant at a property in Sefton, western Sydney, last Wednesday morning. They located and seized 189 coins and an unspecified number of electronic devices.

They then executed another search warrant at a property in Westmead, also in western Sydney, on Wednesday, where they arrested the 47-year-old man.

The man has been charged with three counts of breaking and entering to commit a serious indictable offence.

He faced Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday and was denied bail. He will return to court on 3 October.

NSW Police arrested a 47-year-old man after executing a search warrant at a property in western Sydney today. Source: Supplied / NSW Police Force/Facebook

Doueihi said police were not asking people to surrender the coins if they had come across them, but wanted to hear from people who have information on where "bulk quantities" are located.

"[The coins are] in circulation now, and that's no issue to us," he said. But if you have information where bulk quantities of these coins are stored, we ask that you contact ... Crime Stoppers."

He said police believe "another two men were involved in the theft of these items".

"I anticipate that those males will be identified in the very near future, and I anticipate they will be arrested," Doueihi said.

With reporting by the Australian Associated Press.