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A rare Cadbury chocolate bar dating back 126 years to the Second Boer War is set to go under the hammer, with estimates suggesting it could sell for several hundred pounds. This piece of confectionery history was originally produced in 1900 and formed part of a special order commissioned by Queen Victoria to supply British troops stationed in South Africa during the conflict.
During the Boer War, chocolate manufacturers such as Cadbury, JS Fry, and Rowntree were tasked with creating tins filled with chocolate bars for soldiers. These metal containers bore the inscription “South Africa 1900” and featured a message resembling Queen Victoria’s handwriting that read, “I wish you a happy new year.” By the end of 1900, over 120,000 of these tins had been made and distributed to troops engaged in the war, which lasted from 1899 to 1902 between the British Empire and the Boer republics fighting for dominance in South Africa.
The particular chocolate bar up for auction came from a private collection and will be sold by Lockdales Auctioneers & Valuers located in Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, on 19 May. Chris Elmy, a cataloguer at Lockdales, described the item as “very rare, if unappetising,” noting that it is unusual to find such items preserved in their original condition. He also compared it to the more widely known Princess Mary Christmas tins from World War One, calling the Boer War tin a “precursor” to those.
The combination of the chocolate bar and its original tin is expected to attract bids in the region of £200 to £240. Despite the passage of over a century, the chocolate bar still displays the embossed Cadbury logo, albeit showing some cracks and wear. This historical confectionery offers a fascinating glimpse into the role that even small comforts like chocolate played during times of war
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