Why are ice-cream cones with flakes stuck in them called 99s? | Notes and Queries

Why are ice-cream cones with flakes stuck in them called 99s?

Nick Allen , Saltaire, UK

• I seem to remember the flakes that were put in the ice-creams were originally called 99s.

  Sandy, Paussac, France

• So that Wikipedia could run a business. CHECK THE WEB FIRST! 99 Hail Marys.

  John Rymell, Stepney, UK

• Because in roman numerals 99 is IC - Ice Cream Maybe not true but I like it.

  Trevor Ball, Bolton, UK

• 99s are so called because the smaller than normal flake should be 99millimetres long.

  Drew, Dover, England

• I like the answer of the famous Italian ice cream shop in Portobello Scotland in the early thirties. The flake was made to go with his ice creams and were called 99's because that was the number of his shop.

  Tony, Basingstoke, UK

• A lot of young folk seem to think it's because they used to cost 99p - just had this discussion in my house. In the 'olden days' we had pounds, shillings and pence up until the early 70s! There wasn't any such thing as 99p - it would have been 19/11 (nineteen and eleven) and NO-ONE would have pain THAT for an ice-cream! lol They were probably about 9d (old pence)when I was little. So I go with the king's guards theory - sounds lovely!

  Jan, Liverpool UK