Antique Melon Fruitwood Tea Caddy England 1790-1800
Located in London, GB
Antique Melon fruit wood Tea Caddy Date 1790-1800 Origin English This Early fruit wood tea Caddy is in excellent condition and it has the most beautiful original patina. The hinge a...
Fruitwood
$6,250
Pear form Tea Caddy
Located in Huntington, NY
Late 18th Century George III Pear form Fruitwood Tea Caddy With wooden stem, and an iron keyhole, escutcheon plate, its interior with remnants of the original silver leaf.
Iron
Antique Gillows Tea Caddy, Ebony & Satinwood, Circa 1795
By Gillows of Lancaster & London
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Late Georgian/Regency Period Tea Caddy "Optic/Medallion" Tea Caddy Attributed to Gillows of Lancaster A stunningly constructed English Sheraton-period tea caddy dating to the late ...
Foil
Antique English Georgian Style Inlaid Mahogany Bombe Shaped Tea Caddy
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine antique Georgian style mahogany tea caddy. Of bombé form with fruit wood inlay, gilt brass mounts & handle, and bracket feet. Simply a wonderful, rare form! Date: L...
Brass
$10,400Sale Price|25% Off
Hand Carved Crafted Fruit Wood Coco Georgian Victorian Tea Caddy Centerpiece LA
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Hand Carved Crafted Fruit Wood Coco Georgian Victorian Tea Caddy Centerpiece LA Very rare 19th century George III to Victorian coco nut “Coco de Mer” palm nut tea caddy on a stand su...
Brass, Metal
Country Fruitwood Tea Caddy, Mahogany Inlay
Located in Port Chester, NY
A sweet fruitwood tea caddy or decorative box, inlayed with light mahogany.
Fruitwood, Mahogany
Antique Melon Fruitwood Tea Caddy
Located in Northampton, United Kingdom
Fruitwood melon tea caddy with a fantastic green and brown mottled decoration featuring a steel lock, hinge and escutcheon.
Georgian Fruitwood Pear Form Tea Caddy
Located in Hudson, NY
Late 18th century Georgian fruitwood pear form tea caddy.
Fruitwood
19th Century English Tea Caddy
Located in Houston, TX
19th century English tea caddy in fruitwood.
Fruitwood
Unusual Rare Fruit Treen Melon Tea Caddy
Located in Northampton, United Kingdom
Very rare fruit tea caddy with small creases to the top projecting from the stalk. The tea caddy has a dark mottled exterior similar to melon tea caddies. With steel escutcheon, lock...
Fruitwood
George III Fruitwood Pear-Shaped Tea Caddy, Late 18th Century
Located in London, GB
A superb George III fruitwood pear-shaped tea caddy late 18th century with a stem finial and metal escutcheon, opening to a void foil interior.
Fruitwood
ENGLISH GEORGE III FRUITWOOD OVAL TEA CADDY WITH INLAY
Located in San Francisco, CA
THE COVER WITH A MARQUETRY SHELL RESERVE ABOVE SIDES INLAID WITH A REPEATING PATTERN OF SLENDER VERTICAL STRINGING; OF RICH PATINATION.
Inlaid Tea Caddy with Canted Corners
Located in Litchfield, CT
English, ca. 1800-1820. Exceptional quality and design of inlay patterns
Fruitwood
Fruitwood Tea Caddy, circa 1850
Located in London, GB
Fruitwood tea caddy, English, circa 1850. An unusual fruit wood tea-caddy with domed glass top containing dried flowers and foliage decoration.
Fruitwood
Fruitwood Tea Caddy in the Form of an Apple
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
A fruitwood tea caddy in the form of an apple, with steel hinge and lock plate, the wood a sensational color, probably Continental, circa 1800.
Fruitwood
Regency Fruitwood Apple Form Tea Caddy
Located in San Francisco, CA
An English Regency period fruitwood tea caddy in the form of an apple, circa 1820.
Fruitwood
An English Fruitwood Apple Form Tea Caddy
Located in Dallas, TX
A fine novelty fruitwood tea caddy in the form of an apple. lathe turned and with a soft honey patina, restoration to the lid at the hinge.
Fruitwood
George III Fruitwood Apple Tea Caddy
Located in London, by appointment only
A fine late 18th century novelty fruitwood tea caddy in the form of an apple. Lathe turned and with a soft honey patina, retaining its original stalk and red paper base and remains o...
Fruitwood
Georgian Period Pear Shaped Treen Tea Caddy
Located in Savannah, GA
What could be more refined than this simple fruitwood tea caddy in the shape of a pear? Carved from treen as a novelty, the pear shaped body has a wooden stem and a decorative brass ...
Brass
Georgian Period Apple Shaped Treen Tea Caddy
Located in Savannah, GA
What could be more refined than this simple fruitwood tea caddy in the shape of an apple? Carved from treen as a novelty, the apple shaped body has a metal stem and a pointed oval sh...
Metal
Antique Fruitwood Pear Tea Caddy
Located in Toronto, ON
This classic and collectible tea caddy from England shows beautiful aged patina and elements of its original foil liner. The lock , hinge and brass stem show rich oxidization that co...
Fruitwood
19th Century Fruitwood Barrel Tea Caddy
Located in London, by appointment only
England, Early 19th century. An exceptional and very rare early 19th-century tea caddy in the form of a barrel. The surface retaining its vivid green staining and fine patina, the...
Fruitwood
Georgian Tea Caddy Melon Fruitwood Treen
Located in Northampton, GB
Melon tea caddy with a fantastic green and brown mottled decoration and featuring a shaped wooden stalk, steel lock, hinge and oval escutcheon. The interior still has traces of the ...
Sycamore
Georgian Fruitwood Apple Form Tea Caddy
Located in San Francisco, CA
An English pear wood tea caddy in the shape of an apple, the interior with remnants of a foil lining. Circa 1780-1800.
Pearwood
A George III fruitwood pear tea caddy, English, circa 1800
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
A George III fruitwood pear tea caddy, English, circa 1800.
Fruitwood
19th Century Swedish Treen Fruitwood Caddy
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Excellent Swedish treen caddy circa 1830. 2 tone use of woods, standing on brass feet. Evidence of old inactive worm (see pictures) Height: 7 1/2" Diameter: 6"
Fruitwood
George III Melon Tea Caddy
Located in London, by appointment only
A rare late 18th century tea caddy in the form of a melon. Retaining its original green mottled surface patination, stalk and metal work, the interior retaining fragments of the orig...
Fruitwood
Rare 18th Century English Quince Tea Caddy
Located in Greenwich, CT
Rare English tea caddy in the form of a quince, retaining original hinge, lock, escution, stem and foil liner. This caddy has great patina and lovely form. More commonly found in app...
Fruitwood
Regency Blonde Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy with Pagoda Top, circa 1820
Located in London, GB
An excellent and rare Regency Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy ENGLISH Circa 1820 The caddy measures 7" wide by 4" deep by 6" high Important information below. If you are ...
Fruitwood
English Regency Mahogany Tea Caddy With Fruit Wood Sea Shell Inlay
Located in Stamford, CT
18th century English Georgian mahogany tea caddy with herringbone and banded inlaid borders and oval conch shell satinwood inlay on the top. With hinged lid enclosing lidded interior...
Fruitwood, Mahogany, Satinwood
Victorian Black Walnut Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy Box, Circa 1880.
By Tunbridge Ware
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Victorian Black Walnut Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy Box, Circa 1880. Beautiful and unique geometric inlay mosaic design banding embellishments with mother of pearl key and top medallio...
Fruitwood, Walnut
George III English Antique Fruitwood Tea Caddy
Located in Downingtown, PA
George III English antique fruitwood tea caddy, Late 18th century The antique fruitwood tea caddy is in the form of an apple with a carved stalk in the center of the cover.
Wood, Fruitwood
English Georgie III Antique Pear Fruitwood Tea Caddy
Located in Downingtown, PA
English Georgian antique pear fruitwood tea caddy, Late 18th century The antique fruitwood tea caddy is in the form of a pear with a carved stalk in the center of the cover.
Wood, Fruitwood
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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