Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
1750s British George II Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Late 18th Century English Adam Style Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Satinwood
Mid-19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Hardwood
19th Century English Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century English Sheraton Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Mahogany
1790s English George III Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century English Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Tin
1880s British Victorian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
19th Century British Victorian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Walnut
1860s English Victorian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Wood
Mid-19th Century British Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Paper
19th Century English Chippendale Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Silver Plate
1890s Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Boxwood
1860s English Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
1820s English Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Brass, Bronze
1890s American Dutch Colonial Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Silver Plate, Brass
Late 19th Century English Edwardian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Wood
19th Century British Regency Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver, Brass
Late 18th Century British George III Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Tin
Early 1800s English George III Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Silver
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Sycamore
Mid-19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Brass
1820s English Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Glass, Wood
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Boxwood, Harewood
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Fabric
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Silver
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Boxwood, Tulipwood, Harewood
Late 18th Century English Chippendale Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Brass
Late 18th Century British George III Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Brass
Early 19th Century European Regency Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Ivory, Tortoise Shell
Early 19th Century English William IV Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Glass, Cut Glass
18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Boxwood, Satinwood, Tulipwood
1920s Dutch Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Silver
1870s English Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Silver
1870s English Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Silver
1810s English Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Wood
18th Century British Regency Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Brass
Late 18th Century Danish Rococo Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Pewter
Early 19th Century English Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Oak, Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Walnut
Early 19th Century English Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Mahogany
18th Century British George III Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Mahogany
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Mahogany
Early 19th Century British Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Tin
Early 19th Century European Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Sycamore
Early 20th Century Chinese Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Wood, Lacquer
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Other
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Oak, Burl
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Boxwood, Yew
Early 19th Century English Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Brass
Early 1800s Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Silver
19th Century English Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Rosewood
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Sycamore
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Ash
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies
Mahogany
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Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Antique Tea Box Tea Caddies?
Finding the Right tea-caddies for You
There are lots of uses for your vintage, new or antique tea caddies, but they can certainly serve their original intended purpose if needed.
When tea first gained popularity during the 1800s, and teatime became commonplace in homes all over England, it was an expensive commodity owing to excessive taxation. (This, of course, inevitably yielded a black market for tea leaves.) Tea drinkers hoarded their precious goods, which began to arrive in London ports from China during the 17th century, under lock and key. In luxury homes, tea leaves were stowed away in a decorative jar or canister called a tea caddy that was fitted with a lock, or, alternatively, the container was kept in a secured chest or storage cabinet.
Tea was thought to be not just a delicious drink but also to have medicinal benefits. The Chinese had been praising the healthy properties of tea, and wealthy Europeans were eager to discover its benefits for themselves during their ritual afternoon tea. The idea of “teatime” wasn’t a social event in upper-class British homes until the 1830s or 1840s. During Queen Victoria’s reign, small baked treats might be served with your beverage, and teakettles and coffeepots were part of tea services that could include teacups, saucers, a milk pot and other accessories.
When tea cultivation was relegated to British colonies such as India, and the British East India Company could no longer hold onto its trade monopoly with China, tea was no longer a ritual confined to the wealthy. Today, antique and vintage tea caddies are collector’s items all over the world.
Tea caddies weren’t unique to Europeans. The earliest pieces originated in China. Surviving hand-painted examples from China or elsewhere in Asia made of porcelain might feature enameled landscapes or other designs. At the Taft Museum of Art, there are striking enameled 18th-century-era tea caddies of copper that were given to the institution in 2014. Wooden tea caddies materialized over time and were seen as sturdier than their ceramic counterparts.
Today, there are all kinds of ways to use a vintage tea caddy if you’re passing on tea. They’re a welcome decorative flourish on the mantel in your living room, for example. A metal tea caddy, lined with a plastic bag, can be used to cultivate an herb garden on your kitchen windowsill. An old wooden tea caddy can help keep your paper clips or pushpins organized on your desk too. If you’re always on the go, a tea tin is good for packing earbuds, hand sanitizer, gum or whatever else that might get easily lost in a roomy crossbody messenger bag or other shoulder bag.
Teatime or not, find antique and vintage mid-century modern tea caddies, tortoiseshell caddies and more on 1stDibs.
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