Box Wooden Tea Caddy
Antique 19th Century British Regency Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver, Brass
Antique Early 1800s European Georgian Tea Caddies
Wood
Antique Early 19th Century George III Tea Caddies
Steel
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Tea Caddies
Crystal, Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century English Early Victorian Tea Caddies
Brass
Antique Early 1800s English George III Tea Caddies
Sycamore
Antique 19th Century British Victorian Tea Caddies
Zinc
Antique Early 1800s English Neoclassical Tea Caddies
Brass
Antique 19th Century English Tea Caddies
Antique Early 19th Century Scottish William IV Tea Caddies
Sycamore
Antique Early 1800s English Regency Tea Caddies
Ebony, Mahogany, Satinwood, Harewood
Antique 1880s English Tea Caddies
Silver
Antique 19th Century English Regency Tea Caddies
Brass
Antique 1820s European Regency Tea Caddies
Brass
Antique 19th Century British Victorian Tea Caddies
Brass, Zinc
Antique Early 19th Century Regency Tea Caddies
Mother-of-Pearl, Rosewood
Antique 1770s Chinese Qing Tea Caddies
Mother-of-Pearl
Antique Late 19th Century Indian Anglo Raj Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Antique 1820s George IV Tea Caddies
Amboyna
Antique Mid-19th Century Empire Decorative Boxes
Glass, Cut Glass, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century English Art Deco Decorative Boxes
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Turkish Arts and Crafts Tea Sets
Metal, Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century British Tea Sets
Mahogany, Satinwood
Mid-20th Century Japanese Lacquer
Lacquer
Antique 1790s English Neoclassical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
20th Century Japanese Lacquer
Giltwood, Lacquer
Vintage 1920s German Black Forest Animal Sculptures
Metal
Late 20th Century Japanese Lacquer
Lacquer
Mid-20th Century Asian Decorative Baskets
Bamboo, Paint, Wood
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1940s Danish Hollywood Regency Sterling Silver
Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver
Antique Mid-19th Century English High Victorian Taxidermy
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique Early 19th Century European Tea Caddies
Sycamore
20th Century Vases
Porcelain
Early 20th Century American Renaissance Revival Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Chinese Vases
Porcelain
20th Century English Georgian Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Art Deco Tea Sets
Metal, Sterling Silver, Silver Plate
Vintage 1950s English Renaissance Beds and Bed Frames
Oak
20th Century Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Antique Early 1800s English George III Tea Caddies
Satinwood, Tulipwood, Yew
Antique Early 1900s German Rococo Dinner Plates
Porcelain
20th Century American Art Nouveau Glass
Glass
Antique 1870s English Victorian Bookcases
Mahogany
Antique Early 1900s Chinese Qing Ceramics
Porcelain
Recent Sales
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Tea Caddies
Brass
Antique Early 19th Century Hungarian George III Tea Caddies
Glass, Sycamore
Antique 18th Century British George III Tea Caddies
Harewood
1990s German Modern Tea Caddies
Antique Late 18th Century English Hepplewhite Tea Caddies
Antique 19th Century British Regency Tea Caddies
Yew
20th Century European Victorian Tea Caddies
Ash
Vintage 1980s Japanese Showa Lacquer
Gold, Silver
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Lacquer
Gold
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Ceramics
Stoneware
Vintage 1970s Japanese Showa Lacquer
Gold, Silver
1990s Japanese Lacquer
Gold, Silver
Vintage 1980s Japanese Showa Lacquer
Silver, Gold Leaf, Gold
20th Century Japanese Showa Ceramics
Stoneware
1990s Japanese Lacquer
Gold
Vintage 1920s Japanese Taisho Lacquer
Gold, Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century Country Tea Caddies
Wood
Antique 1820s Scottish Tea Caddies
Rosewood
Antique 1810s Scottish Tea Caddies
Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Tea Caddies
Crystal, Brass
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Tea Caddies
Brass
Antique 19th Century European Tea Caddies
Sycamore
Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Tea Caddies
Tortoise Shell
Antique Early 19th Century Scottish Georgian Tea Caddies
Sycamore
Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Tea Caddies
Antique 19th Century English Tea Caddies
Antique 1830s Jamaican Tea Caddies
Wood
Antique 1820s Scottish Regency Tea Caddies
Glass, Wood
Antique Mid-18th Century English Tea Caddies
Antique 1860s English Victorian Tea Caddies
Brass
Antique 1890s English Late Victorian Tea Caddies
Silver Plate
Antique Late 19th Century English Georgian Tea Caddies
Wood
Antique 19th Century English William IV Tea Caddies
Mahogany, Rosewood, Satinwood
Antique 1760s English George III Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Art Deco Decorative Boxes
Walnut
Antique Early 19th Century English George III Decorative Boxes
Mahogany
Antique 19th Century English Boxes
Antique 19th Century British Boxes
Oak
Early 20th Century Chinese Boxes
Early 20th Century English George III Tea Caddies
Wood
Antique Early 19th Century English George II Tea Caddies
Wood
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Tea Caddies
Brass
Antique 1870s French Chinoiserie Tea Caddies
Lead
Antique Mid-19th Century European Tea Caddies
Silver
Antique Early 19th Century English Regency Tea Caddies
Mother-of-Pearl, Mahogany, Glass
Antique 1810s English Regency Tea Caddies
Brass
Antique Early 19th Century Irish George III Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Antique 1860s Scottish Victorian Tea Caddies
Brass
Antique Early 19th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Tea Caddies
Lacquer, Wood
Antique Late 19th Century Victorian Decorative Boxes
Brass
Antique Mid-19th Century European Victorian Jewelry Boxes
Silver
Early 20th Century Chinese Boxes
Giltwood
Mid-20th Century English Art Deco Decorative Boxes
Brass
20th Century Japanese Lacquer
Wood, Lacquer
Vintage 1920s Austrian Art Deco Animal Sculptures
Glass, Wood
Vintage 1950s German Black Forest Animal Sculptures
Wood
Late 20th Century Japanese Meiji Lacquer
Lacquer
20th Century British Tea Caddies
Antique 19th Century French Tea Caddies
Kingwood
Box Wooden Tea Caddy For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Box Wooden Tea Caddy?
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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