Two men will spend months behind bars before learning their fate after stealing more than 60,000 unreleased coins celebrating a popular Australian cartoon.
Steven John Neilson, 47, and Nassar Kanj, 45, stole a 500kg pallet of 63,000 limited edition Bluey coins from a western Sydney warehouse in June 2024.
Both have pleaded guilty to aggravated break and enter, and committing an indictable offence in company to steal more than $60,000.
The pair were given an October 8 date for sentencing in Parramatta District Court on Friday.
The prosecutors will have until September 26 to file submissions with the defence to respond by October 3.
The stolen coins were created by the Australian Mint for a special release in September 2024.
Imprinted were characters of the popular Logie-winning kids' television show Bluey.
Some of the mint's limited edition Bluey coins were found with a legitimate coin collector by police in August, but he had to give them up.
Neilson and Kanj sold the coins online for 10 times their $1 face value, police say.
The two men allegedly worked at the warehouse where the coins were stolen.
Police seized 189 Bluey Coins and arrested Neilson following a search of a southwest Sydney property in August.
Kanj was arrested after police searched another western Sydney home later that month.
The 45-year-old was also charged with three more offences of aggravated break and enter committing a serious indictable offence, but those charges were withdrawn.
Both men remain in custody.
A third person was arrested and charged in October, alleged to be the getaway driver.
After her arrest, police found more than 40,000 coins in a storage facility.
She will return to court on July 31.
Bluey has become a global phenomenon after first airing in Australia on the ABC in 2018.
It follows the adventures of a young dog and her family living in suburban Brisbane.
