Hi, I don't have much for you on this, but maybe I can help a little. A good way to start is with a reference book, and finding out the author's name and illustrator (Corinne Malvern, one of my favorites, is the illustrator for Five Pennies to Spend, LGB #238.) It does seem to be rather hard to find, being published in 1955 and never reprinted like so many other LGB's. I usually check findbookprices.com--they compare prices at several websites. They have a service where they'll alert you by email when a copy is found; this service is also offered by some other sites, including Biblio.com, Amazon and Abebooks, to name a few. I checked around tonight a bit, and did find one copy at barnesandnoble.com, pretty pricey at $89.98! But you can probably track one down for a much better price if you watch and wait; I've been collecting vintage LGB's since the mid-1970's when my first child was born, and have found that prices vary wildly! You may be able to find one up for auction on ebay sometime in the future.

You have my sympathy having lost your childhood books; my mom gave away our large collection when my sister and I reached our teens. When I started having kids, I started to build my own collection, through five kids and now three young grandkids, who all have loved the stories, too. Now my collection is way more extensive than my childhood collection was; and I have at last found virtually all the books we had as kids in the 1950's! It's a fascinating, fun hobby; I wish you well and want to encourage you in your search (and thank goodness for the internet!) Happy hunting!