The Shock of Chocolate

In 1954, we had two places to spend our pennies, nickles and dimes, Burnsies and Dees. They were both on Merchants Road. We passed by Burnsies on our way to school each day if we didn't take the short cut through the field. Dees was in the other direction about equidistant from my home but heading towards Empire Boulevard rather than Winton Road. One road, diverging on two different stores and the way we turned made all the difference.

When I say spending our pennies, I mean it literally. This was the era of penny candy. For two cents, you could get two rolls of Necco Wafers. Necco Wafers were  a classic American candy known for their colorful, round, and flat shape. They had been enjoyed by generations since their introduction in 1847. Necco, short for New England Confectionery Company, was the original manufacturer of these candies.  

Necco Wafers came in a roll-style packaging, similar to many other candy rolls. The packaging was made of a cylindrical tube, made of paper. The tube was designed to be compact and portable, making it convenient to carry and enjoy the candy on the mile long journey to school.

We could buy a roll of Neccos on the way to school and another roll on the way back from school and still have change if we had a nickel. Burnsies did not sell baseball cards. If he did, we would have sacrificed the wafers. Baseball cards and comics were only available at Dees which made further difference in the divergent stores.

So we bought our wafers and went on our merry way. The wafer packaging prominently featured the Necco logo, which typically appeared on a colored background. The logo had a vintage feel with a stylized font and often included an image of a candy wafer. The color scheme varied over the years, but it usually featured bold and vibrant colors to match the assortment of flavors inside.

Inside the packaging, the Necco Wafers were neatly stacked in a circular formation. The wafers themselves were approximately 1.5 inches in diameter and about 0.1 inches thick. They had a smooth, slightly chalky texture and were imprinted with the word "NECCO" on one side.

The original Necco Wafers came in a distinctive assortment of flavors and colors, including:

Lemon (yellow)
Lime (green)
Orange (orange)
Clove (purple)
Cinnamon (white)
Wintergreen (pink)
Licorice (black)
Chocolate (brown)
Caramel (tan)
Each flavor had its own distinct taste, ranging from sweet and fruity to spicy and aromatic.My favorite wafer was the chocolate wafer by a mile. I was fair to neutral on the rest. The chocolate wafer was usually towards the bottom of the pack so by the time I got to the chocolate, I was getting close to school or home which was always a good thing.

After a while, it became clear that I wasn't alone in my preference for the chalkalate chocolate. 

I had an idea

Wouldn't it be great if Necco made wafer rolls that were only one flavor...that flavor being chocolate. Most of the kids I walked with loved the idea but not everybody. Licorice was still a big deal back then so some kids didn't want to give up the licorice. I told them don't worry about it. The roll of all chocolate wafers will never happen.

Then one bright, sunshiny day a rumor started. Dees had Necco wafer chocolate rolls available. I couldn't believe my ears especially because my aunt Rose had given me my first half dollar. Me and my buddy Al made our way to Dees and there they were. They actually existed. I had a nickel in my pocket before Rose gave me the half dollar. I bought five rolls of chocolate Necco wafers and ten packs of baseball cards. I had never spent that much money in my life. Within the baseball cards, I got the most valuable card of the time...the Willie Mays card.....not only one but twice. I had doubles of the card that everybody was after and enough wafers to walk to and from school for a week, if I mixed in a Clark Bar. My parents didn't know about Rose's generosity and she asked me to keep it quiet so I could get the usual nickel from my parents. I kept her secret for the rest of her life.

It was a great, great day...to this day, one of the best.