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With the recent demise of several Victorian coin stores it can be a struggle to find numismatic items to peer at in Melbourne. However, if you are in Melbourne it’s worth a trip across the Yarra if you do want to look at coins. The Downies store in Melbourne used to be in The Block Arcade but 2 and a half years ago moved to Southbank and into the Southgate shopping precinct. You’ll find them on the Upper Level in shop U4.
If you think it’s a long walk, it’s not. It will take you about 6 minutes to stroll the 500 metres from Flinders Street across the scenic Southbank Pedestrian Bridge or a little less across the St Kilda Road bridge to the shopping precinct. Downies have a modern well lit shop and we can report that their staff, Paul, Steve and Sian are super-friendly and are happy to help you with whatever coin business you have. Perhaps you are looking for a 1930 penny, a Holey Dollar and dump or a gold sovereign, maybe you’re looking for the latest Perth Mint release or silver coins for the Christmas pudding. Maybe you need the latest coin catalogue or want to talk to the team about consigning Grandad’s coin collection in the next Downies Auction.
Downies have a wide range of Australian pre-decimal coins for those on a budget and the serious collector or investor. They stock coins and notes, their individual coins in 2×2’s are easily seen displayed in these cool rotating coin machines. Royal Australian Mint and Perth Mint NCLT are also big sellers as well as releases from various other World Mints that are not easily sourced in Australia. There’s enough in-store to keep a coin collector occupied for a while, making the trip from the CBD more than worthwhile. In conclusion we’d like to thank Paul and Steve in particular for their warmth and enthusiasm every time we enter their shop, and recommend that other coin collectors take the time out to visit the Downies Shop in Melbourne!
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