£14,510 for pic 'n' mix? 100 eBayers bid for last bag of legendary Woolworths confectionery

The last bag of Woolworths pic’n’mix in the country went under the hammer yesterday, fetching £14,510 for less than a kilo of multicoloured, sticky sweetness.

More than 100 bids were made for the bag, as people rushed to get a piece of confectionery history. The 800g bag included fizzy cola bottles, rhubarb & custards, strawberry bon bons, Turkish delight, white mice and pineapple cubes.

The buyer of what must be the world’s most expensive trick-or-treat bag was yesterday unavailable for comment, after spending more than £18 for each gram of sweets.

Ed Adams was the Woolies store manager who picked up the bag of pic’n’mix classics just moments before his store, at Petts Wood in Kent, closed for the last time. After having the bag officially certified by Deloitte, Woolworths’ administrators, as the last one, he put it up for sale on eBay.

In a nod to the thousands made jobless by the chain’s closure, Mr Adams has donated all proceeds from the sale to the Retail Trust, a charity which provides assistance to those who have been employed in the sector. “I am really proud and excited to see such an enormous sum has been raised for the last bag of pic’n’mix,” he said.

“I spotted that at least a bag’s worth of pic’n’mix was left in the counter just before I closed the shop for the last time. I then decided to bag it up before contacting Retail Trust to see if it could be auctioned on their behalf. Retail Trust is a fantastic organisation that has helped so many people like me. Being made redundant in the current climate was hard to take, and knowing that there is help out there, gives you comfort in these pressing times.”

Nigel Rothband, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said he was amazed by the amount raised. “We had a sweepstake in the office and I predicted £1,200, which was already beyond my wildest dreams. I’m completely gobsmacked – I never thought it would fetch anything like this much. We think the money will go towards hardship grants.”

Woolworths nostalgia items have continued to do brisk trade on eBay. Even packs of empty pic’n’mix paper bags are attracting bids.

Which do you like?

Nostalgic 20- and 30-somethings...

Pineapple cubes, fizzy cola bottles, rhubarb & custards

Old ladies...

Humbugs, mint creams, chocolate buttons with sprinkles, chocolate Brazils

Swooning tweenage girls in pink...

Jelly hearts, strawberry bon bons, white chocolate mice, pink shrimps

Beastly boys...

Fizzy cola bottles, jelly snakes, strawberry flyers

The sensible child...

Rhubarb & custards, chocolate eggs, jelly beans, Turkish delight