A 126-year-old chocolate bar handed to a British soldier during war is set to go under the hammer – but buyers have been warned it may not taste very good.
The rare Cadbury chocolate dates back to the Second Boer War in 1900 and surviving examples are believed to be incredibly scarce.
Auctioneers expect the historic sweet treat to fetch hundreds of pounds when it goes up for sale, as reported by Need To Know.
READ MORE: Trucker chugs booze behind wheel moments before mowing down and killing teen
Chris Elmy, of Lockdales, said: “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 and its original tin are expected to sell for between £200 and £240.
The unusual lot will go under the hammer on 19 May in Martlesham Heath, Suffolk.
Cadbury was commissioned by Queen Victoria alongside fellow chocolatiers JS Fry and Rowntree to create thousands of tins for British troops fighting in South Africa.
The Second Boer War was fought between 1899 and 1902 between the British Empire and the two independent Boer states battling for control of South Africa.
The specially made tins carried the inscription “South Africa 1900” alongside a handwritten-style message from the Queen reading: “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.
READ MORE: Ram raid goes wrong as bungling jewellery thieves flee smashed shop empty-handed
