This box, still in their straw packing and silver foil wrapping, was commissioned by Queen Victoria and shipped to South Africa during the Second Boer War as a gift to British troops serving on the front lines. Paterson is believed to have purchased the chocolates from a soldier while serving as a war correspondent in 1899 for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

The most curious thing is that the chocolates have not only withstood the test of time, but are apparently in very good condition, says the Library.