Australian Bluey coins worth $400,000 stolen by warehouse worker

From NBC/Reuters:

The 47-year-old man is accused of stealing 64,000 unreleased, limited-edition coins, according to "Strike Force Bandit," a special unit police set up to investigate the theft.

A raid on a Sydney house in June recovered 189 coins and Doueihi said the vast bulk of coins are already in circulation. Those who receive one do not need to surrender it to police, he added.

The coins, produced by the Australian mint, look like A$1 coins and would be legal tender. Police say they are selling online for ten times their face value.

"Bluey" is an Australian animated show targeted at children

NBC/Reuters news story:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/bluey-coins-stolen-australia-warehouse-rcna165500

 

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My daughter loves Bluey.... I kinda feel like she might need one of those

 

It's a shame he didn't melt them. Australia is getting annoying to collect with the way they issue small quantities of commemoratives to circulation to drive sales directly from the mint.

 

If they release them into circulation how does it drive sales from the mint? I’m genuinely asking, I can’t figure that one out…

 

You hear about it, you want one, you can't find one, you buy one. That's all I can figure.

 

How does that even work? Wouldn't the chance of getting a coin from circulation at face value, instead of having to pay the premium to get it straight from the mint, if anything, reduce sales?

 

I don’t know about Australian legislation admittedly, but I have to think there is a limit to the mintage in the authorizing law. Maybe there’s a circulation mintage and a special from the mint mintage?

 

Man that daughter's birthday request went way to far lol,she'll still get some though(for free).Also note Bluey is an awsome show but that father didn't need to do a D.B Cooper to make her and others happy.Imagine the case in court,that person will be declared a hero!!!.

 

Not necessarily - I think some coin designs are approved with open-ended mintages (i.e. if sales are good they keep making more).

 

very good to know. My experience with that is all from the US mint where the authorizing legislation gives the montage.