The Penny Sweet Treasury: Remembering the Classic Confectionery Tins

This fantastic image, showcasing a selection of classic British chocolate and sweets in their original packaging and pricing, is a vibrant portal back to the sweet shops and tuck boxes of the mid-20th century. It is a colourful tribute to a golden age of confectionery, where brand loyalty was forged over a few coppers and the choice seemed endless.

A Box of Nostalgia

The presentation itself is a throwback: a simple, moulded plastic tray holding seven distinct treats, a familiar sight for anyone who received a selection box at Christmas or bought a 'lucky dip' assortment. Every wrapper tells a story, but several key items stand out:

• Spangles: Positioned proudly at the top, Spangles were the quintessential boiled sweet of the era, known for their bright colours, square shape, and unique, often unusual, flavours (like Blackcurrant or Old English Treacle). The packaging here, with its starburst pattern, evokes the cheerful, post-war optimism that characterized their popularity.
• Marathon: Centre stage is the Mars bar, priced at 4d (four old pennies), its price marked clearly on the wrapper. Most significantly, its brown sibling is labeled as a Marathon, with a 3d Value sticker. This is the ultimate piece of confectionery nostalgia, as the name Marathon was changed to its international counterpart, Snickers, in 1990. For an entire generation, the nutty caramel bar will always be a Marathon.
• Treets: The bright yellow packet, proclaiming "ALL CHOCOLATE Treets," is another classic lost to time. Described as "Milk Chocolate in a Candy Coat" and priced at 3d, Treets were a direct forerunner to modern-day M&M's, offering a chocolate button with a hard, protective candy shell, ideal for keeping fingers clean.
• Twix: The large, gold-wrapped Twix bar (originally known as the Raider in some European markets) and the Milky Way (marked as the "Lighter Whip" bar), complete the lineup of perennial favourites.

The Price of a Treat

The prices displayed—3d and 4d—firmly date this collection to the pre-decimal era of the late 1960s or very early 1970s. This was the time of penny sweets, where a child could walk into a shop with a sixpence and emerge with a hefty bag of treats. The price was as much a part of the identity of the bar as the wrapper design itself.

This image is a joyful reminder of the simple, unpretentious pleasures of childhood confectionery. It’s a snapshot of the intense, delicious choice that faced every child staring into the bright lights of a sweet shop counter. Though some of the names and prices have changed, the fundamental joy these snacks provided remains a potent, sweet memory.