This 100-Year-Old Box Of Chocolates Is Terrifying

Over a hundred years ago a British girl was given a box of chocolates. Today, it remains uneaten. And for the bargain price of $100, you could be the lucky one to finally eat them.

The story is a strange one: A century ago, a young Eileen Margaret Elmes was gifted a box of chocolates for Christmas. The set contained chocolate figurines that corresponded to the characters from Little Red Riding Hood. There’s a tiny chocolate girl in a red cape, a chocolate grandma prostrate in what seems like a comfy miniature bed, a chocolate huntsman, and then a fourth chocolate character whose identity I can’t quite confirm. The box came from Pascall’s Chocolate Novelties.

Elmes loved her box of chocolates so much that she kept them, uneaten, for the entirety of her life, and then some: The chocolates actually outlived their owner, who died in 2007 at the age of 99. Since then, her niece (who prefers to remain anonymous) has been the sole keeper of the chocolates. Until now, that is.

This week, the century-old box of chocolates will go up for auction at Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall, England. The official auction date is set for December 19. Auctioneers estimate that the antique sweet could sell for something between £70-£100, or approximately $93-$133.

The chocolates themselves appear to still be intact, as do the clothes that adorn them, though they're covered in a white chalky film that belies their age. Would I eat them? Most definitely not. Would I buy them at auction? Perhaps… if I was chocolate obsessed and had a spare hundred lying around. Best of luck to whoever walks away with this vintage treat.

Words by Valerio Farris for Food52