Royal souvenir chocolates from 1935 found after woman refused to eat them because they ‘might be worth something one day’

• Vera Petchell was gifted the chocolates for the Silver Jubilee aged eight in 1935
• READ MORE: William and Kate visit a VERY distinguished antiques auction

A bar of royal souvenir chocolate from 1935 has been found under a woman’s bed 88 years after her father told her not to eat them.

Vera Petchell, from Boston, Leeds, was given the chocolate to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary when she was just eight years old.

But she never ate them because her father told her they might be worth something one day and treasured the souvenir for 82 years – up until six years ago when she thought she had lost them aged 90.

Ms Petchell passed away at the age of 95 in November last year and her children discovered the lost confectionery while clearing out her home in Beeston, Leeds.

The chocolate bar was found hidden inside a toffee tin at the back of a drawer under Vera’s bed and could now fetch hundreds of pounds at auction.

A bar of royal souvenir chocolate (pictured) from 1935 has been found under a woman’s bed 88 years after her father told her not to eat them

The chocolate bar was found hidden inside a toffee tin (pictured) at the back of a drawer under Vera’s bed and could now fetch hundreds of pounds at auction

Vera Petchell (pictured as a child) was given the chocolate to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary when she was just eight years old

Ms Petchell passed away at the age of 95 in November last year and her children discovered the lost confectionery while clearing out her home in Beeston, Leeds

Nadine Mccafferty, 71, from Beeston, one of Vera’s four children, said: ‘Mum was mortified when she lost the chocolates. She had us hunting high and lot 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.’

Ms Mccafferty said she found the chocolate in a toffee tin when clearing her mother’s house after she died in November last year. She said she was confused to find the box hidden in the tin because the chocolate never used to be in there. 

‘It’s a shame Mum never knew we’d found them,’ she said. ‘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.’

READ MORE: Royal works of art! The Queen and Princess Margaret’s childhood drawings sell for over £11,000 at auction 

And Ms Petchell’s father’s advice now appears to be right because the The Rowntree & Co Ltd chocolates are now expected to fetch £100-£200 at auction.

Ms Mccaferty said that knowing how much the chocolates meant to her mother, her and her siblings decided to put them into auction to preserve them because box can’t really be split between four.

Cardiographer Ms Petchell was born in September 1927 and in 1935 all children were presented with the chocolates to mark the Silver Jubilee. 

‘The gift was arranged by the then Lord Mayor of Leeds William Hemingway,’ Ms Mccaferty added.

‘Mum always did what her dad told her. She was a great character and enjoyed a good life.’

Ms Petchell had four children, seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. 

The chocolates are set to go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers, in Etwall, Derbyshire, between October 19 and October 24.

Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: ‘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. This find has sparked memories of a wonderful Yorkshire woman, old-school discipline and a child’s respect for her father.’

Ms Petchell’s father’s advice now appears to be right as the The Rowntree & Co Ltd chocolates (pictured) are now expected to fetch £100-£200 at auction

In 1935 all children were presented with the chocolates to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary

Ms Petchell (pictured as a teenager) had four children, seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren

Ms Mccafferty said she found the chocolate in a toffee tin (pictured) when clearing her mother’s house after she died in November last year. She said she was confused to find it hidden in the tin as the chocolate never used to be in there

Mr Hanson added: ‘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.’

He said as the Rowntree chocolates were in the tin they are in good condition despite being more almost a century ago. 

Rowntree’s was founded in 1862 at Castlegate, in York, by Henry Isaac Rowntree, a Quaker.

In 1881, Rowntree introduced Fruit Pastilles and the product proved to be a great success, accounting for about 25 per cent of the company’s tonnage by 1887.

Around 1898, the company acquired its own cocoa plantations in the West Indies and in 1899, Rowntree introduced its first milk chocolate block.

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