The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Sweet find as Mars bar from 1996 goes on sale
Internet: Man generates huge interest with 22-year-old chocolate treat
A Peterhead man has secured a legion of online followers after putting a decades-old Mars bar up for sale.
William Knight discovered the confectionery, which has a sell-by date of February 1996, while he was putting away Christmas decorations in the loft of his Raasay Road.
The treat was discovered in a box alongside a commemorative tin of Cadbury’s chocolate marking the Queen’s coronation in 1953 and a collection of coins.
“Within around half-an-hourIhad 800 hits and lots of messages”
Just for a laugh, Mr Knight decided he would try to sell the chocolate bar and posted a cheeky advert on Facebook asking for £5.
The social media post said: “Mars bar sweetie, best before date 1996.
“This is a very rare old sweet and I know there are collectors of old sweet memorabilia.
“A one-off bargain, only a fiver, get in quick before it’s gone.”
Since the social media post went live, Mr Knight has had thousands of views and hundreds of messages from people keen to get their hands on the Mars, for 26p.
He said Mars bar fans have gone nuts ever since he published his advertisement in an online group.
Mr Knight said: “I thought I would do it just originally sold for a laugh. Within around half-an-hour I had 800 hits and lots of messages from people wanting to buy it.
“You wouldn’t believe all that. It has just gone nuts.”
The 63-year-old taxi driver has now sold the chocolate bar to a man from Fife who is sending a delivery firm to Peterhead to pick up his purchase today.
Mr Knight said: “The guy from Kirkcaldy has gone mad for it.
“He is even sending a courier company to come and get it.
“You get a lot of collectors of different things these days, everything from records to sweets.
“Maybe the nostalgia it appealed to him.” of
The Mars bar is synonymous with the north-east, following the creation of the calorieladen deep-fried variety in 1994.
It was first made by the owners of Stonehaven’s Carron Fish Bar.