Chocolate coins turn up everywhere — Christmas stockings, pirate-themed party bags, Halloween buckets — without most people ever asking where the idea came from. It's older, and more specific, than the generic "novelty chocolate" explanation suggests.
The tradition actually starts with Hanukkah gelt
The word "gelt" is Yiddish for money, and the custom traces back to Hanukkah gelt: coins given out during Hanukkah, a practice documented with certainty from the 1600s–1700s. One account ties it to Jewish teachers who declined regular payment for their work but accepted gelt at Hanukkah as a token of appreciation; another points to seventeenth-century Poland, where children were given coins to pass on to teachers and gradually started keeping some for themselves. Either way, real coins came first — the chocolate version came later.
Chocolate gelt specifically was made by European Jewish chocolatiers in the 18th and 19th centuries, with Loft's, a New York candy company, generally credited as the first to produce it commercially in the early 20th century — thin foil-wrapped chocolate discs packaged in small mesh bags, much like the format still used today.
How it spread beyond Hanukkah
From there, the foil-coin format proved useful well beyond its original context — gold foil reads as "treasure" regardless of the occasion, which is why it turns up in pirate-themed party bags and Christmas stocking fillers as readily as it does in Hanukkah gelt bags. The chocolate and the format travelled; the specific religious meaning, for most buyers today, didn't come with it.
What we stock
We carry three chocolate coin lines. Kingsway Gold Milk Chocolate Coins 1kg is the standard gold-foil milk chocolate coin in a 1kg bag. Kingsway Pirate Gold Milk Chocolate Coins 1kg is the same milk chocolate coin with pirate-themed foil design, aimed at treasure-hunt and pirate party settings. Halloween Milk Chocolate Coins 1kg swaps the foil for Halloween colours, suited to trick-or-treat handouts or party bags. All three are currently in stock as 1kg bulk bags.
FAQ
Where do chocolate coins actually come from?
The tradition traces back to Hanukkah gelt — coins, and later chocolate coins, given out during Hanukkah, documented from at least the 1600s–1700s. Loft's, a New York candy company, is generally credited as the first to produce chocolate gelt commercially in the early 20th century.
Why are chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil?
Gold foil mimics the look of real coins and treasure, which is part of why the format works equally well for Hanukkah gelt, pirate-themed party bags and general festive gifting.
Are chocolate coins only a Christmas thing?
No — they originate from Hanukkah gelt, and today turn up just as often in pirate party bags and Halloween treats as they do in Christmas stockings.
What's the difference between the Kingsway Gold and Pirate Gold coins?
Both are the same milk chocolate coin; the difference is the foil design — plain gold foil versus a pirate-themed foil finish.
Do you sell chocolate coins in bulk?
Yes — all three lines we stock are 1kg bulk bags, suitable for party bags, stocking fillers or trick-or-treat handouts.