Cadbury bar from 1900 sells for more than £500

A 126-year-old Cadbury chocolate bar issued during the Second Boer War in 1900 was sold at auction for more than £500.

The bar, which had come from a private collector, was auctioned by Lockdales Auctioneers & Valuers, based at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk.

It had been expected to fetch between £200 and £240 but sold for £520 during the 10:00 BST auction.

Chris Elmy, cataloguer at Lockdales, said he expected the seller of the item to be "delighted" with the result.

"The hammer price of £520 must be a world record for a Boer War tin," he said.

"Including premium, the buyer has paid £640. I think this price has been achieved due to the preservation of the chocolate, and the fact you can read the Cadbury logo so clearly on each bar.

"The publicity has certainly helped, and the seller of the item will be delighted with the result."

Cadbury, along with other chocolatiers, was commissioned by Queen Victoria to produce thousands of tins of chocolate for British soldiers fighting in South Africa during the war.

The war was fought between 1899 and 1902 between the British Empire and the two independent Boer states, which were vying for control of South Africa.

Cadbury, which went by Cadbury Brothers Limited at the time, JS Fry and Rowntree were specifically commissioned to produce the tins of chocolate for the troops.

The metal tin carried the inscription "South Africa 1900" and, in a copy of the Queen's handwriting, "I wish you a happy new year".

By the end of 1900, more than 120,000 of the tins had been produced and distributed to soldiers.

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