Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Porcelain
1950s Austrian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver
Mid-20th Century Japanese Japonisme Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Tin
20th Century Art Deco Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver Plate
20th Century Art Nouveau Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Rococo Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Walnut
1970s Victorian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Metal
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Stoneware
1980s Japanese Modern Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Plastic
20th Century English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
People Also Browsed
Late 20th Century American Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Textile
1980s Japanese Industrial Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Chrome, Cut Steel, Steel
Late 20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Brass, Enamel
20th Century French Country Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Chinoiserie Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood, Paper
Late 20th Century American Baroque Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Shell, Wood
Late 19th Century English Victorian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver, Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Gold Plate, Silver, Enamel
Late 18th Century British Georgian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver
Mid-20th Century Belgian Industrial Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Metal
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Resin, Fiberglass
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Ceramic
20th Century Japanese Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Porcelain
19th Century Chinese Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Tin
Recent Sales
20th Century Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood, Glass
20th Century English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood, Glass
20th Century English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
20th Century English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
20th Century British Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
1990s German Modern Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
20th Century European Victorian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Ash
1970s British Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
20th Century American Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
20th Century French Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Bronze
1940s French Adam Style Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Willow
20th Century English Victorian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Foil
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver, Enamel
20th Century Edwardian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver
Late 20th Century American Victorian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver Plate, Brass
20th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
20th Century Japanese Showa Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Lacquer
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Lacquer
Mid-20th Century Art Deco Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Walnut
20th Century Japanese Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Lacquer, Mother-of-Pearl
1940s European Early Victorian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Rosewood
20th Century Unknown Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
20th Century Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Bone
Mid-20th Century English Neoclassical Revival Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Ceramic
20th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Brass
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Teak
1980s Italian Other Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver
1930s Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Bone, Tortoise Shell
1930s European Art Deco Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Brass
1930s Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Bone, Tortoise Shell
Mid-20th Century Moroccan Islamic Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Victorian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver Plate, Brass
Mid-20th Century English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Tin
Mid-20th Century Indian Moorish Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Brass, Copper
20th Century Japanese Showa Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Gold Leaf
20th Century Japanese Showa Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Lacquer
Mid-20th Century English Folk Art Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Textile, Lacquer
20th Century English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Tôle
20th Century English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood, Mother-of-Pearl
1950s British Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
20th Century English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Tortoise Shell
20th Century Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
20th Century British Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
20th Century English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
20th Century Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
1950s English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
20th Century English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
20th Century English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
1930s English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Porcelain
1950s British Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
20th Century English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
20th Century Chinese Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
20th Century English Georgian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Satinwood, Yew
20th Century British Edwardian Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
1930s English Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Porcelain
20th Century British George IV Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver
Vintage Tea Caddy Tea Caddies For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Vintage Tea Caddy 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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