I ENJOYED reading an article in the Citizen (December 23,1999) concerning the lack of toy shops in the Fylde area.

I remember as a child before and during the Second World War, two excellent toy shops in Blackpool, namely Bateson in Abingdon Street and Diggle in Waterloo Road. They really were wonderful places, both veritable Aladdin's caves.

Just a note about present day prices of pre-war Dinky toys -- I have a collection of pre- and post-war Dinky toy aircraft, and today a 1938 Dinky toy DH88 Comet racing aeroplane would cost £55 and in 1938 the Dinky D88 would have cost 6d. So for £55 in 1938 one could have bought 2,200 DH88 Dinky aeroplanes.

I am enclosing a colour copy of the front cover of the 1938 Meccano catalogue which came from Wordens toy shop in Park Road, St Annes.

Malcolm Eaves, Cunliffe Road, Blackpool.