A rare solid silver Rowntree's chocolate box made for the 1902 coronation of King Edward VII is going under the hammer at David Duggleby Auctioneers in Scarborough on Friday morning, with a guide price of up to £1,000. Auctioneers describe it as an "incredibly rare item" and believe it to be only the second such box to appear at auction this century, marking a rare opportunity for collectors interested in royal and confectionery history.

The 125-year-old box, hallmarked Sheffield 1901 and stamped by silversmiths Cooper Brothers and Sons, originally held a single bar of chocolate and survives in "remarkable condition" with its original red leather case. While Rowntree distributed thousands of painted tin versions to schoolchildren and the public, only a handful of solid silver examples were made for the King, Queen and Rowntree family members; ordinary tins today fetch £30-£300, but this piece is "about as rare as it gets". Notably, its inscribed coronation date of 26 June 1902 is incorrect, as the ceremony was postponed to 9 August after Edward VII fell ill and needed surgery; the only other known silver example sold in London in 2007.