• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

J Vickerstaff Fish Salesmen Bell Street

S

Simon68

master brummie
Hello everyone,

It's me again, the serial token collector who always seems to end up with Birmingham related tokens. (See my previous posts regarding the Crown Tavern Cherry Street)

Anyway, via a popular auction website, I have secured a 2 shilling token of J Vickerstaff, whom I believe are/were major fishmongers in Birmingham. Not being local I do not know where Bell Street is/was.

I once again I am seeking any info to give some history to this rare token.

Regards and thank you in advance.

Simon
 
hi simon really enjoyed helping out with the crown tavern token...

have to say i have never heard of j vickerstaff or indeed bell st so think some research is needed...

lyn
 
well simon i have found out that bell st was near to birminghams bull ring and it was in a small shop in this street that birds custard first started...i dont think the street still exists so we could do with an old map showing its location...maybe mike could help out on that one...do you have any idea of the date of the token ??

lyn
 
Maybe no relation to J Vickerstaff but we used to buy our fish from an Ada Vickerstaff who had a large stall in the Market Hall in the Bullring. This was 1940-50's
 
Found J. Vickerstaff wholesale fish dealer back to 1868. Bell Street was the location of the Wholesale Fish Market.

Colin
 

Attachments

  • Fish Market.jpg
    Fish Market.jpg
    909.6 KB · Views: 24
Last edited:
As an early teenager I remember the name Ada Vickerstaff being mentioned frequently in the Birmingham newspapers. I have the feeling that she was some sort of spokesperson for those in the open air (thanks to the Luftwaffe) Market in the Bullring.
 
Last edited:
thanks for the map of bell st colin and tracing back to 1868

tim i would say that ada must have been from the same family so when you were buying fish from her in the 1950s the business had been going for almost 100 years...

lyn
 
Cannot remember if we used to buy from them, we were greengrocers and sold fresh fish on Fridays, but certainly remember the name that would be 1968-70, so they did trade for over 100 years.

Colin
 
The following turn up in directories:

1862 Vickerstaff & Walker, fishmongers & curers, 50 Old Cross st. (Also entry for John Vickerstaff saying see Vickerstaff & Walker)
1867-68 Vickerstaff & Walker, fish salesmen & commision agents. 51 & 55 Old Cross St
1867 Vickerstaff, John, fruiterer, 27 Market Hall
1868 Vickerstaff, John, Fishmonger, 170 Market Hall
1872 Vickerstaff Elizabeth (Mrs), fish curer, Banbury St
1872 Vickerstaff, John, fishmonger 79 Market Hall & fish salesman, Bell St, & auctioneer, Banbury St
1873 Vickerstaff Elizabeth (Mrs), fishmonger, 79 Market Hall & fish market & Bartholemew St, home: Banbury St.
1873 Vickerstaff John fish salesman, fish market, fish market, home: Banbury St
1876 Vickerstaff Elizabeth (Mrs), fishmonger 79 market hall, ;fish saleswomen wholesale fish market, Bell St & curer, Banbury St & 5 court 54 Bartholemew St.
The 1871 census shows that john and elizabeth are married , with son John , living at no 5 house, 5 court, Bartholemew St.
In fact John Vickerstaff of Birmingham (presumably the father) is recorded as dying in the first quarter of 1871.

So it looks like john started as a fruiterer, but probably came from a family with "fishy" connections, and then turned to the fish business, and he mainly ran the wholesale side (I presume fish salesman is wholesale, fishmonger retail), but died 1871. however it is possible the token was from his son, but i would have thought that unlikely as Elizabeth seems to have taken over the business.
 
great info and memories on this thread folks...amazing how just one little token can throw up a bit more of the history of brum and its people..

lyn
 
IMG_2024.JPG

Thanks for all your help so far. Am trying to attach an image of the token to this thread so that you can all see it. It is supposedly very rare.

Regards

Simon
 
what an unusual shaped token simon...quite pretty really thank you for posting a photo of it and the vickerstaff family are still trading today...

lyn
 
Simon68 said:
View attachment 95995

Thanks for all your help so far. Am trying to attach an image of the token to this thread so that you can all see it. It is supposedly very rare.

Regards

Simon
Click to expand...

Sorry to bother you, I have one of these tokens, I found it in a draw while cleaning out 'junk'
Was it expensive? I could do with getting rid of it.
I can't find any on selling sites.

Any information would be grateful.

Roy
 
roycollingwood said:
Sorry to bother you, I have one of these tokens, I found it in a draw while cleaning out 'junk'
Was it expensive? I could do with getting rid of it.
I can't find any on selling sites.

Any information would be grateful.

Roy
Click to expand...
Hi Roy,

Apologies for not replying sooner.

Sold mine for £5 in the end, so the best I can offer you is say £3 plus postage.

Regards

Simon
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top