'Vintage' Sparkles sweets for sale on Trade Me

Friday, 30 December 2016

Two weathered packs of 'vintage' orange Sparkles might not be the sweetest deal, but they have become a rare commodity.

Nostalgic lolly-lovers now have a chance to bid on a listing for two packets of Pascall orange sparkles on Trade Me.

The bidding started at $10, a high price for what used to be one of the cheapest items at the local dairy.

Sparkles have not graced dairy shelves in 8 years.

Pascall Confectionary, owned by Cadbury Schweppes, stopped making the sweet, along with Snifters and Tangy Fruits, at their Auckland factory in 2008.

* Pascall's Licorice Allsorts just the latest treat to disappear

* Backlash at Snifter's demise goes global**

People who have held onto the 'vintage' confectionary don't stand to make much of a profit over time.

Antique specialists have told the media before that vintage candy holds little value in the antiques market, though old packaging might be resold as a piece of social history.

The black market of classic kiwi candy has come to Trade Me in the past.

In 2008, 20 packets of Sparkles were sold for over $50 - half the price per packet as the current auction.

Snifters and Tangy Fruits were sold for significantly more. Twelve pots of Tangy Fruits were sold for over $100, and twenty bags of Snifters were bid on upwards of $170.

This year, Pascall has announced it will no longer be making Licorice Allsorts and Jaybees jelly beans - the latest kiwi casualties in a changing confectionary market.

The company said a significant decrease in sales was the motive behind the loss of the kiwi classics.