A little girl never ate a box of royal souvenir chocolates given to her in 1935 when she was eight years old – because her dad told her not to.
But after treasuring them for a lifetime Vera Petchell (nee Cooling) thought she’d lost them. They vanished without trace about six years ago when she was 90 years old. By that time she’d kept them safe for 82 years.
Nadine Mccafferty, 71, from Beeston, Leeds, 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.
“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. 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 he was right. The Rowntree & Co Ltd, York, England chocolates made to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary are set to go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers in October with a guide price of £100-£200.
Nadine said: “After finally finding the chocolates and knowing how much they meant to mum we decided to put them into auction to preserve them. 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.”
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. 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 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% 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.
Auction: The 1935 royal chocolates will be offered in Hansons Auctioneers’ October 19-24 Antiques and Collectors Auction.
Catalogue due live October 13: www.hansonsliove.co.uk and www.the-saleroom.com.
Enquiries: [email protected].
