Royal chocolates found under bed after woman refused to eat them for 82 years

09 October 2023 , 14:01

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The Royal souvenir chocolates were kept safe for over eight decades (Image: Hansons / SWNS)

A box of Royal souvenir chocolates from 1935 was discovered under a woman's bed after she had refused to eat them for over 80 years.

The chocolates were given to Vera Petchell to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary in 1935 when she was just eight years old. Following her father's instructions, she never ate them and treasured the souvenir for a lifetime.

However, six years ago, when Vera was 90, the chocolates disappeared without a trace. After keeping them safe for an impressive 82 years, she thought they were lost forever. Vera passed away at the age of 95 in November last year, and while clearing her home in Beeston, Leeds, her children found the long-lost chocolates hidden in a toffee tin at the back of a drawer under her bed.

The 88 year old snack could now fetch over a hundred pounds at auction. Nadine Mccafferty, 71, one of Vera's four children, said: "Mum was mortified when she lost the chocolates. She had us hunting high and low for them. We looked everywhere. They used to be in a drawer in her bedroom but we couldn't find them. She thought we'd accidentally thrown them out.

Vera Petchell in later life (Hansons / SWNS)

Vera Petchell around the age of three (Hansons / SWNS)

"We found them when we were clearing her house in Beeston after she died at the age of 95 in November 2022. They were tucked away at the back of a drawer under her bed. They were hidden inside an old toffee tin. That's what confused us.

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"They never used to be in the toffee tin. When we were looking for them we spotted the toffee tin but never thought to open it. It's a shame mum never knew we'd found them. She spent the last few years of her life wondering where they'd got to. She kept them safe forever. Her dad told her not to eat them because they might be worth something one day."

And her father's advice now appears to be right as the The Rowntree & Co Ltd, York, England chocolates are now expected to fetch £100-£200 at auction. Nadine added: "After finally finding the chocolates and knowing how much they meant to mum we decided to put them into auction to preserve them.

The chocolates were kept safe after advice from her dad (Hansons / SWNS)

"We can't really split them between four. Mum was born in September 1927. At the age of five in 1932 she started at Princess Field School in Holbeck, Leeds. In 1935 all the school children were presented with a box of chocolates to mark the royal silver jubilee.

"The gift was arranged by the then Lord Mayor of Leeds William Hemingway. Mum always did what her dad told her. She was a great character and enjoyed a good life. She has a few jobs but ended up as a cardiographer at Leeds General Infirmary in the days before you needed a degree to do something like that. As well as her four children - three daughters and a son - she had seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren."

The chocolates are scheduled to be auctioned at Hansons Auctioneers, located in Etwall, Derbyshire, from October 19th to 24th. Charles Hanson, the proprietor of Hansons Auctioneers, expressed his relief: "What a relief those chocolates have been found and are here to honour Vera's memory. I can imagine her horror at thinking she had lost them after treasuring them for more than 80 years. But this story is destined to have a happy ending.

The toffee tin the chocolates were hidden in (Hansons / SWNS)

"This find has sparked memories of a wonderful Yorkshire woman, old-school discipline and a child's respect for her father. It must have been hard for Vera not to eat a morsel of chocolate but in those days a gift like this was so special it was treated like treasure. No doubt Vera occasionally had a peep, just to check her chocolates were still there. We're not sure when she put them inside the Thorne's toffee tin but it would have helped to preserve them during hot summers.

"Consequently, they're in good condition considering they were made nearly a century ago. They are partially visible as some of the silver foil covering them has torn. The chunky chocolate pieces have Rowntree's name on each piece. Rowntree are an important manufacturer in Britain's chocolate heritage and this historical find will appeal to collectors of both chocolate and Royal memorabilia."

Rowntree's, a significant player in Britain's chocolate history, was established in 1862 at Castlegate, York, by Henry Isaac Rowntree, a Quaker. In 1881, Rowntree launched Fruit Pastilles, which quickly became a popular product, contributing to approximately 25% of the company's tonnage by 1887. By 1898, the company had acquired its own cocoa plantations in the West Indies. A year later, in 1899, Rowntree introduced its first milk chocolate block.

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Adam Dutton