Coin and stamp shops in Coventry

I am looking for a picture of a coin shop that used to be near the Swanswell. It was on a street corner that was 'redeveloped'. This would be mid 60's (I was about 12). I want the picture to illustrate a talk I'm giving next year on coin collecting. The shop was possibly ran by a Mr. Appleby (I'm not sure, everyone called him 'Appy though he could be quite miserable at times). There is no rush with this, the talk's next year but any help appreciated

Hello & welcome to our Historic Coventry Forum, johnquinn, I am hopeful that some of our former Hillfields members might come up with some info. It might have been on the corner of Wheatley St & White St You are right, it was Cox Street. Bril, MisterD-Di. Thank you

I remember this shop quite well as I sometimes used to go there. He sold foreign stamps as well as coins and I would spend pocket money on both on occasions. Inside was something of an 'Aladdin's Cave'. I do have a memory of the owner as being a bit of a misery. The shop was a sort of prefabricated affair as I recall. It would have been in Cox Street, just around the corner from White Street, on the opposite side to where Sidney Stringer now is, if that makes sense.

Correct MisterD-Di, He was a bit of a misery. There was a bomb site to the rear which was hidden by hoardings, then the pre-fab shops. On the corner there was a green grocers, facing towards the Swanswell, the only building that survived the blast. I am almost sure there is a photo on here somewhere that shows that corner.

Hi All, thanks very much for the rapid response. I had thought it had to be the corner of Cox and White Street but I couldn't be sure. I have looked at the Frith site (amongst loads of others) but sadly nothing was quite right. Yes, there is a picture of the Swanswell pub. I'm sure Appy sold all manner of things, stamps included, but I was only into coins (hadn't discovered girls then). Some years before, my father had been a clippie on the buses (18 via crem!) and he used to occasionally appear at home, with the bus parked outside, if he'd forgotten his sandwiches. On one occasion he took me with him when he was cashing up, somewhere near Broadgate. It was before I started collecting sadly and I often wondered in later years what I might have found in that leather bag Thanks very much to all.

LOL, Thanks Dutchman. Much appreciated If the pic is blown up, you can make out the hoardings and the greengrocers display right on the corner. The shop in question faced onto Cox St and sold coins, medals, stamps anything he could lay his hands on cheap.

I am sure that he also used to sell second-hand records and I certainly used to buy stamps for my collection there.

Thanks for the photo Dutchman. No sign of me and Mayjan with our fishing nets and jam jars fishing for tiddlers.

We were probably over Primrose Hill Park, Tricia. Maybe playing on the Slipper Bath steps. Or trailing suspicious looking people and wearing our Famous Five badges!

Just to finish off, there was another coin shop in town. It was just off Cross Cheaping/Burges in the alley (Palmer Lane?) that went through to Trinity Street, coming out just above Thorntons. It was called the Coventry Halfpenny I think and the owner there was a lot more laid back. The "Coventry Halfpenny" is the most famous of all the Coventry coins, probably because it has a picture of Lady Godiva on it. If you google it you'll find some good images. Technically speaking it's a token rather than a coin but that's splitting hairs a bit. JC

Afternoon johnquinn, thanks for the 'token' lesson. I vaguely knew about them and 'trucking' and have found some up our garden over the years but I have learnt a lot more about them in the last few days and find the subject really fascinating. There's another topic on here, 'Coventry Coin' I think, where I wrote in about them and I did find some great specimens as you said, some on e-bay, The Herbert and several museums and of course sellers.

Wasn't there also a coin dealers in New Union Street, close to the junction with The Quadrant?

And here it is photographed in 2010 !

What a change, do you think this old photo is the same building on Palmer Street?