You can bid on a war hero's century-old chocolate in an online auction
It appears a distinguished World War I soldier, Richard Bullimore, only ate one of his 10 Cadbury chocolate bars while awaiting battle in the war's notorious trenches, according to the online auction company Eddisons CJM. The chocolate tins were apparently a wartime Christmas present to troops.
Eddisons CJM, which also auctions off massive pieces of industrial equipment, will offer Bullimore's 103-year-old chocolate in a package with his other belongings on Tuesday, June 5.
Just the chocolate tin itself is rare, noted CJM's Paul Cooper, "but to find the chocolate still inside is just unreal.”
“The chocolate actually looks in pretty good shape," he added.
But it almost certainly shouldn't be eaten, contrary to Cooper's assertion that experts say extremely old chocolate isn't dangerous.
According to Kansas State University professor of food science Fadi Aramouni, quoted in Newswise (and backed by recommended guidelines from the National Confectioners Association), dark chocolate, if kept in a cool and dark environment, is safe to eat for one or two years; milk chocolate even less.
Aramouni said there have been cases of salmonella poisoning from eating expired chocolate.
Whomever wins Bullimore's collection will also find century-old cigarettes (only three are missing), along with a collection of letters and other items.
For those in or around Scunthorpe, England, the chocolate bars can be viewed in person at the Eddisons CJM Auction Center on Monday, June 4, prior to the day of the online auction.
