Ultra-rare 122-year-old chocolate bar found during house clearance tipped to sell for hundreds
Date: 2024-10-21A 122-YEAR-OLD chocolate bar was discovered intact during a house clearance and it’s now selling for hundreds.
The antique chocolate was found in a commemorative tin and still had some of the silver wrapping.
Being over a century old, the collector’s item is set to go to auction and may go for around £200.
Auctioneer Jay Goodman-Browne said: “This type of item is just so rare.
“It’s quite remarkable that it went uneaten for so long, especially as this would have been regarded as a real treat at the time.
“Sweets and chocolates were still a relative novelty, to not eat it must have been a real challenge.”
The choccy was produced by British confectionery brand Rowntree’s in 1902 and was in a tin embellished with images of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
Luckily the tin had the date printed on so auctioneers were able to timestamp it.
Rowntree’s has been around since 1881 and is known for Fruit Pastels and Randoms gummy sweets.
In 1902 chocolate was still luxurious and so the owner exhibited good self-control to save the treat.
Chocolate was still considered a relative novelty at the start of the 20th century which may be why the owner wanted to save it.
Auctioneers at Auctioneum Ltd, Bath, have valued the delicacy at £200.
The sale is set to take place on November 4 and the lucky winner will get to take the sweet deal home.
Only a few chocolate bars from that timeframe are known to exist now which price the item up.
The silver wrapping paper was also untouched however the buyer has advised not to eat the historic dessert.
Goodman-Browne added: “It’s not in bad shape considering its age.
“It’s still got some of the silver paper, and the tin has done a good job of protecting it.
“However, I’m not so sure it would still pass the taste test!”
How to spot valuable items
COMMENTS by Consumer Editor, Alice Grahns:
It’s easy to check if items in your attic are valuable.
As a first step, go on eBay to check what other similar pieces, if not the same, have sold for recently.
Simply search for your item, filter by “sold listings†and toggle by the highest value.
This will give you an idea of how much others are willing to pay for it.
The method can be used for everything ranging from rare coins and notes to stamps, old toys, books and vinyl records – just to mention a few examples.
For coins, online tools from change experts like Coin Hunter are also helpful to see how much it could be worth.
Plus, you can refer to Change Checker’s latest scarcity index update to see which coins are topping the charts.
For especially valuable items, you may want to enlist the help of experts or auction houses.
Do your research first though and be aware of any fees for evaluating your stuff.
As a rule of thumb, rarity and condition are key factors in determining the value of any item.
You’re never guaranteed to make a mint, however.
10 chocolate bars voters want back
Here’s a breakdown of the results – and how the Echo bar fared.
Cadbury Dream – 8 per cent
Cadbury Marble – 7.9 per cent
Cadbury Aztec – 7.8 per cent
Cadbury Time Out – 6.9 per cent
Milky Way Crispy Rolls – 6.2 per cent
Kit Kat Caramac – 5.9 per cent
Mars Delight – 5.7 per cent
Cadbury Fuse – 5.6 per cent
Cadbury Astro – 5.3 per cent
Fox’s Echo – 3.6 per cent
