Dogwalker hopes to sell 'valuable' crisp packets dating back decades

Chips to cash? Dogwalker who stumbled upon decades-old packets of crisps on Great Yarmouth beach including Golden Wonder and Smiths Horror Bags hopes to sell the ‘valuable collectables’ for upwards of £100 each online

• The old plastic packets were found on Scratby beach in Norfolk 

A dog walker who stumbled upon decades-old crisp packets dating back to the 1960s hopes to sell the ‘valuable collectables’, which include packets of Golden Wonder, Spangles and Smiths Horror Bags, for upwards of £100 online.

Chris Turner was staying at his holiday home in Scratby near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, when he discovered the plastic junk that had been washed up by the North Sea.

The empty packet of Golden Wonder crisps were priced at 5d, meaning the snack would have been sold before the UK’s currency went decimal in 1971.

He also found an empty plastic bag of fruit-flavoured Spangles sweets, marked 2d in the former currency and a wrapper of another 1970s favourite, Smiths Horror Bags bacon flavoured corn and potato claws.

While to some the old packets would simply appear to be rubbish, Mr Turner realised the wrappers he found while walking his dog along Scratsby beach are a valuable collector’s items. 

Horror Bags were one of the decades-old snack packets Chris Turner found while walking on a Norfolk Beach

This packet of ready salted crisps dates back to the 1960s, priced at 5d, meaning the snack would have been sold before the UK’s currency went decimal in 1971

A packet of Crispis, that was sold for just 3p at the time,  was also found in excellent condition 

He said: ‘The last one I found – the Horror Bags – I contacted a group online and was told “actually, it’s really valuable”.

‘I’ve had a look and some have gone for over £100 on eBay because they’re collectable.

‘So I know what I’ll be doing with that very soon.’

A faded packet of ready salted and cheese and onion flavoured crisps from the brand Crispis were also washed up.

All the packets were in remarkable condition despite their age, with labelling and wording clearly visible, and were on top of the sand.

Mr Turner, from Clifton in Bedfordshire, decided to share his findings to a local Facebook page to provide some nostalgia of the snacks of yesteryear but also provide a stark warning for how long plastic takes to decompose.

No use-by dates were visible, so he searched online for some clues as to their age.

Mr Turner said: ‘When I saw them, I thought ‘I’m picking that up’ – just out of curiosity, really. I couldn’t believe how old they were.

‘I’m not a big eco-warrior but I think the plastic in the seas is dreadful and the amount of litter generally along the beach is awful.

‘I was always told not to drop litter.’

Mr Turner also found an empty plastic bag of fruit-flavoured Spangles sweets, marked 2d in the former currency. The packets hold some value and will sell for upwards of £100 on eBay

Mr Turner decided to share his findings to a local Facebook page to provide some nostalgia of the snacks of yesteryear but also provide a stark warning for how long plastic takes to decompose

He added: ‘I think the recent high tides at Hemsby about a mile away have shifted everything to the surface.’

Tayto Group, which now owns Golden Wonder, confirmed the packet was almost certainly from the late 1960s and said it had made changes in recent years to reduce plastic packaging.

The Smiths Horror Bags bacon flavour corn and potato claws were available for about five years in the 1970s and were reportedly criticised at the time for being potentially disturbing for children.

Mr Turner now plans to continue to keep an eye out for more vintage litter on the beach.

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