Rare 125-year-old Sheffield chocolate box up for grabs
A 125-year-old chocolate box which was hallmarked in Sheffield is up for auction
A 125-year-old chocolate box that once held a single bar of Rowntree's chocolate is expected to make £1,000 when it goes under the hammer.
The box which was hallmarked in Sheffield in 1901 is one of the rarest commemorative wares produced for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902 and is thought to be only the second to be seen in an auction this century.
Holly Hammond of auctioneers David Duggleby Auctioneers and Valuers said: “Along with all the country’s major chocolate manufacturers, Rowntree of York produced thousands of souvenir coronation tins of chocolate - painted tins decorated with portraits of the new King and Queen - that were distributed to the nation's schoolchildren and many others.
“The King and Queen supplied tins of the Rowntree chocolate for Coronation Dinners that were arranged for the poor of London; and for a Royal housemaids tea.
“Rowntree also commissioned the Sheffield silversmiths Cooper Brothers and Sons to produce a small number of solid silver versions of the painted tins. The King and Queen got silver versions and the others went to members of the Rowntree family.”
The chocolate box is set to go under the hammer in the period Home Auction at the Vine Street Saleroom in Scarborough on Friday, August 7.
Holly said: “It is incredibly rare. The only other example that we have been able to find ever going under the hammer was back in 2007, in London, a box that was reportedly given by a member of the Rowntree family to their coachman and passed down in his family.
“This box retains its original red leather case and is in quite remarkable condition. It bears the Cooper Brothers stamp and is hallmarked Sheffield 1901, the year beforethe Coronation - which brings us on to a surprise, the fact that the date of the Coronation emblazoned on the tin, June 26th 1902, is wrong.
“That’s down to the fact that the King and Queen were due to be crowned on June 26th but King Edward was taken ill with an abdominal abscess that required surgery shortly before the date and the ceremony was postponed for six weeks. The coronation did not actually happen until 9th August.”
When asked about the value of the box, Holly explained that this is worth significantly more than most 1902 coronation tins which tend to make around £30 to £50.
This is in a completely different league, about as rare as it gets. The pre-sale estimate is £800-£1,000,” Holly explained.
Friday’s Period Home sale is a curated auction of furniture, clocks, silver, works of art and country house interiors extending to 262 lots. The catalogue is available on the firm’s website (www.davidduggleby.com).
Viewing is taking place at the Vine Street Salerooms in Scarborough throughout the week including Friday morning (August 7) from 9am until the start of the auction at 11am.