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‘Bluey’ Coins Worth $400,000 Stolen by Australian Warehouse Worker, Police Say

This undated handout photo taken by the New South Wales Police Force and released on August 7, 2024 shows bags of seized commemorative Bluey coins at an undisclosed location. (New South Wales Police / AFP)
This undated handout photo taken by the New South Wales Police Force and released on August 7, 2024 shows bags of seized commemorative Bluey coins at an undisclosed location. (New South Wales Police / AFP)
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‘Bluey’ Coins Worth $400,000 Stolen by Australian Warehouse Worker, Police Say

This undated handout photo taken by the New South Wales Police Force and released on August 7, 2024 shows bags of seized commemorative Bluey coins at an undisclosed location. (New South Wales Police / AFP)
This undated handout photo taken by the New South Wales Police Force and released on August 7, 2024 shows bags of seized commemorative Bluey coins at an undisclosed location. (New South Wales Police / AFP)

An Australian man is set to appear in court on Wednesday after being arrested for the alleged theft of more than A$600,000 ($393,000) worth of commemorative coins linked to the popular children's television show "Bluey", police said.

The 47-year-old is accused of stealing 63,000 unreleased, limited-edition A$1 coins from a secure warehouse in the Sydney suburb of Wetherill Park in June, according to "Strike Force Bandit", a special unit police set up to investigate the theft.

One of last year's most streamed television shows in the United States, the Australian animated show targeted at children is widely loved by adults too and is the 14th highest-rated show of all time, movie tracker website IMDB.com showed.

The coins, produced by the Australian mint, are legal tender and resemble regular A$1 coins albeit with one face featuring the anthropomorphic canine character "Bluey". Police say they are selling online for 10 times their face value.

A similar run of special commemorative coins sell for A$20 each on the mint's website - coins designed to be collectors' items only and not legal tender. One eBay seller was charging almost A$600 for a pack of three.

Detective Superintendent Joseph Doueihi told reporters at a press conference he was not initially aware of the show's popularity.

"The theft of these coins have deprived a lot of young children and members of the community from having access to these coins, so we're doing our absolute best to try to recover these coins and put them back into circulation."

Police said the man worked at the warehouse where the coins were being stored for two days on their way to Brisbane.

They alleged he stole the coins, which weighed 500 kilograms (1102 lb), from the back of a truck with the help of two male accomplices. The coins were then sold online within hours.

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

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NASA Delays Next Crew Launch to buy More Time at Space Station for Boeing's Troubled Capsule

The massive Vehicle Assembly Building where NASA’s powerful new 322-foot-tall moon rocket has been assembled for the unpiloted Artemis 1 mission, is reflected after a hard rain at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Thom Baur/Files
The massive Vehicle Assembly Building where NASA’s powerful new 322-foot-tall moon rocket has been assembled for the unpiloted Artemis 1 mission, is reflected after a hard rain at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Thom Baur/Files
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NASA Delays Next Crew Launch to buy More Time at Space Station for Boeing's Troubled Capsule

The massive Vehicle Assembly Building where NASA’s powerful new 322-foot-tall moon rocket has been assembled for the unpiloted Artemis 1 mission, is reflected after a hard rain at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Thom Baur/Files
The massive Vehicle Assembly Building where NASA’s powerful new 322-foot-tall moon rocket has been assembled for the unpiloted Artemis 1 mission, is reflected after a hard rain at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Thom Baur/Files

NASA is delaying its next astronaut launch to buy more time at the International Space Station for Boeing’s troubled new crew capsule.

The space agency said Tuesday it’s bumping SpaceX’s four-person flight from this month to next. It’s now targeted for Sept. 24 at the earliest. Officials said that will give them more time to analyze thruster and leak problems that hit Boeing’s Starliner capsule after its June liftoff, its first with a crew on board, The AP reported.

Tuesday marked the two-month point at the space station for Starliner’s test pilots, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who should have been back by mid-June. NASA is weighing all its options for returning the two veteran astronauts, including a ride home in a SpaceX capsule.

“NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate the spacecraft’s readiness, and no decisions have been made regarding Starliner’s return,” NASA said in a statement. Further details were expected at a news conference set for Wednesday.

Only two docking ports at the space station can accommodate US astronaut capsules and, right now, both are occupied. So one will need to be vacated before the next SpaceX crew can arrive. Russia has its own parking places for its Soyuz capsules.

The latest setback means the four astronauts who flew up with SpaceX in March now also face a longer mission than planned.

Over the past several weeks, Boeing has conducted thruster test firings on the ground as well as in space to better understand why five thrusters failed ahead of Starliner’s June 6 arrival at the space station. All but one came back online. Helium leaks in the capsule’s propulsion system also cropped up.

Citing the testing, the company late last week said: “Boeing remains confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to return safely with crew.”

Boeing and SpaceX topped NASA's list for astronaut taxi service to and from the space station, after the shuttles retired in 2011. NASA signed contracts worth billions with both companies in order to have a backup in case one of them got sidelined by an accident.

SpaceX launched its first crew in 2020; the upcoming flight will be its 10th astronaut flight for NASA. It's also sent a few private crews into orbit.

Boeing has had to overcome multiple Starliner problems over the years. The company had to launch an empty Starliner twice before committing to a crew, repeating the initial flight test because of bad software and other issues. The delays have cost the company more than $1 billion.