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Miscellaneous
A chocolate bar given to a British soldier in 1900 during the Second Boer War is up for auction, with a warning it may be inedible.
Nearly 126 years after it was handed to a British soldier during wartime, a rare chocolate bar is heading to auction—though potential buyers are cautioned it likely won't taste good. The Cadbury chocolate, dating back to the Second Boer War in 1900, is considered extremely scarce, with few surviving examples known to exist. Auctioneers predict the historic confectionery could sell for hundreds of pounds.
Chris Elmy, of Lockdales, explained the significance: “The public may be familiar with the Princess Mary Christmas tins of World War One, but this Boer War issue was the precursor. To have the contents intact is very rare, if unappetising.”
The chocolate bar, still in its original tin, is expected to fetch between £200 and £240. The unusual item will go under the hammer on 19 May in Martlesham Heath, Suffolk.
Queen Victoria commissioned Cadbury, along with fellow chocolatiers JS Fry and Rowntree, to produce thousands of tins for British troops fighting in South Africa. The Second Boer War, fought from 1899 to 1902, pitted the British Empire against two independent Boer states in a struggle for control of the region.
The specially made tins bore the inscription “South Africa 1900” and included a handwritten-style message from the Queen: “I wish you a happy new year.” By the end of 1900, more than 120,000 tins had reportedly been produced and distributed to soldiers overseas.
