A woman's box of royal souvenir chocolates from 1935 - made by Rowntree's of York - have been found under her bed 88 years later - after she refused to eat them because her dad told her not to.
Vera Petchell was given the chocolates to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary when she was an eight-year-old girl.
But she never ate them on her father's orders and she treasured the souvenir for a lifetime up until six years ago when she thought she's lost them.
They vanished without a trace when Vera was 90-years-old and by that time she’d kept them safe for a staggering 82 years.
She passed away aged 95 in November last year and her children have now discovered the lost chocolates while recently clearing her home.
The 88-year-old snack 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.
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 her father's advice now appears to be right as the The Rowntree & Co Ltd, York, England chocolates are now expected to fetch £100-£200 at auction.
Nadine added: “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."
The chocolates are set to go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers, in Etwall, Derbyshire, between October 19-24.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: "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.
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