By Dan Woodland Published: 07:40 EDT, 16 October 2024 | Updated: 08:06 EDT, 16 October 2024

An uneaten 122-year-old chocolate bar made to mark the coronation of King Edward VII is tipped to sell for hundreds of pounds at auction. The antique chocolate was made by Rowntree’s in 1902 and comes in a tin decorated with portraits of King Edward and the Queen Alexandra of Denmark.The original owner showed amazing self-control to not devour it at the time, with only a handful of antique chocolate bars from that period known to have survived. The intact chocolate still has some silver wrapping paper protecting it but the buyer is advised not to eat it for health reasons.It is valued at £200 by auctioneers Auctioneum Ltd, of Bath, who say that at the turn of the 20th century sweets and chocolate were still a ‘relative novelty’. A man is seen holding an uneaten 122-year-old chocolate bar made to mark 1902 coronation of King Edward VII The intact chocolate still has some silver wrapping paper protecting it but the buyer is advised not to eat it for health reasons The antique chocolate was made by Rowntree’s in 1902 and comes in this tin decorated with portraits of King Edward and the Queen Alexandra of DenmarkAuctioneer 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 NEWSWALLA covered King Edward’s coronation when it took place in August 1902’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!’Edward, the eldest son of Queen Victoria, became King in 1901, following the death of his mother. He reigned for only nine years before he passed away aged 68 after suffering from health problems brought on by smoking.During his reign Edward, was renowned as a huge Francophile, and made many private visits to Paris.Known as ‘Tum-Tum’ thanks to his ever-increasing waist, he relished the capital’s legendary food, cabarets, and women. Edward’s pro-French attitude had its political uses since it paved the way for the 1904 Entente Cordiale which cemented the Anglo-French alliance a decade before the First World War. A century later, Elizabeth II marked its 100th anniversary by visiting France and hosting a state visit to Britain by President Chirac.

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Now that must be past its best-before date! 122-year-old chocolate bar made to mark 1902 coronation of King Edward VII is set to make hundreds at auction