Antiques Roadshow guest too stunned to speak as they learn staggering value of tiny chocolate bar passed down from father during house clearout – with expert gushing over show first
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An Antiques Roadshow guest was too stunned to comment on Sunday’s episode when he was told of the staggering value of his small bar of chocolate.
The episode was set in Cromford Mills, Derbyshire, and a gentleman brought along a tin of Cadbury chocolates. These had been given out to children in honour of the coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra in 1902.
The tin of chocolate – with the chocolate still in it – was passed on to the guest by his father, who in turn had received it from his father.
When hostess Lisa Lloyd pressed the question, the guest indicated the chocolate had to be worth between £100 and £200.
Lisa then shocked the audience by revealing that a similar tin was on sale in 2023, for £1000.
An Antiques Roadshow guest was too stunned to speak on Sunday’s episode when he heard about the staggering value of his tiny chocolate bar
The episode was set in Cromford Mills, Derbyshire, and a gentleman brought along a Cadbury chocolate tin that had been given out to children on the occasion of the coronation of Edward VII in 1902.
The chocolate tin – with the chocolate still in it – was passed on to the guest by his father, who in turn had received it from his father
The guest said of the tin: ‘I got it from my father when they were clearing out the house, but it was his father’s and it’s clearly a souvenir from the 1902 coronation.’
Lisa confirmed this by explaining that the initials ‘E’ and ‘A’ appeared on the front, along with portraits of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and the date June 1902.
In a surprise to the audience, she explained that the coronation had actually taken place in August, as Edward had contracted appendicitis a few days before the original date.
Lisa did say that she and other experts saw a lot of chocolate tins from the guests, which spoiled the mood.
However, she quickly added: ‘But this one is very special, isn’t it? But why is it special?’
The guest opened the tin and replied, “Because the chocolate is still in it.”
Because there was no chocolate in them, the tins usually sold for £15 to £20, but the guest’s grandfather had saved the chocolate and had 50 times that amount left.
The guest, hearing that someone in a similar situation walked away with a four-figure sum, responded, “What? Wow!”
When pressed by hostess Lisa Lloyd, the guest indicated the chocolate must be worth between £100 and £200.
Lisa then shocked the room by revealing that a similar tin was on sale in 2023 – for £1000
Also delighted was the one who revealed: ‘And this is the first time I’ve seen one, so thank you very much.’
In her commentary, Fiona Bruce reflected on the era in which chocolate was born: ‘Just eight years after these chocolate bars were released, Edward VII was already dead.
‘And a new king, George V, ruled over a country on the brink of the First World War.
Antiques Roadshow airs on Sundays on BBC One and previous episodes are available on BBC iPlayer.