19th Century Chinese Canton Lacquer Tea Caddy with Pewter Canisters
Located in Kastrup, DK
Octagonal Chinese tea caddy crafted in wood with dark lacquer and richly decorated in gold with Chinese figural scenes, architecture, flowers and stylized foliage. The front, sides ...
Pewter
Antique English Tea Caddy in Ribbed Bucket Form George III
Located in Northampton, GB
FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING This George III Tea Caddy is formed in the rare and unusual shape of a ribbed bucket and dates to circa 1800. The exterior is carved with alternating panels...
Wood
19th Century Rosewood and Brass Tea Caddy from Saint Croix
Located in Tampa, FL
An exceptional 19th century rosewood tea caddy, originating from Saint Croix in the Virgin Islands, crafted in the English taste. This rare island piece is fashioned in a sarcophagus...
Brass
Antique English Georgian Satinwood Tea Caddy with Conch Shell Inlay
Located in Northampton, GB
FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING A Georgian satinwood tea caddy featuring conch shell inlay, dating to circa 1790, of rectangular form with elegant canted corners and finely inlaid boxwood ...
Wood, Satinwood
Fabulous Antique English Penwork Double Compartment Tea Caddy c.1820
Located in Bath, GB
A simply magnificent and grand example of a Regency Penwork Tea Caddy dating 1820. The caddy stands on it's original large gilded bronze Lion's paw feet and the sides retaining the ...
Wood
An English Regency Mother-of-Pearl Veneered Tea Caddy, Circa 1840
Located in New York, NY
An English Regency Mother-of-Pearl Veneered Tea Caddy, Circa 1840 An English Regency mother-of-pearl veneered tea caddy, circa 1840, of architectural casket form with chamfered corne...
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Antique Early Victorian Tea Caddy in Coopered Barrel Form C. 1940
Located in Northampton, GB
FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING Tea caddy in coopered barrel form, modelled as a miniature barrel and raised on a mahogany plinth with a cavetto edge, dating to the early Victorian period, ...
Brass
Geometrically Inlaid Georgian Rosewood Two Chamber Tea Caddy w/Sugar Bowl
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Fine George III rosewood double chamber tea caddy with classical inspired geometric inlay of exotic woods including satinwood, mahogany, kingwood and palm.
Brass
Early 19th Century English George III Tea Caddy with Shell Inlay
Located in Atlanta, GA
Early 19th Century English George III Tea Caddy with Shell Inlay
Wood
$1,297Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Loose Tea Caddy, English, Dual Compartment Beverage Case, Regency, 1820
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique loose tea caddy. An English, mahogany and velvet dual compartment case, dating to the Regency period, circa 1820. Beautiful Regency craftsmanship with a superb v...
Wood
$1,570Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Drawing Room Tea Caddy, English, Flame, Sarcophagus, Regency, circa 1820
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique drawing room tea caddy. An English, flame mahogany sarcophagus with glass mixer, dating to the Regency period, circa 1820. Superb craftsmanship with striking de...
Wood
George III Mahogany Tea Caddy with Conch Shell and Compass Rose Inlays
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
George III mahogany double chamber tea caddy raised on tapered block feet. The front is inlaid with a conch shell in an oval and the top with a six-pointed star with shaded arms radi...
Wood
French Early 19th Century Tea caddy Featuring marquetry Inlay of Figures Dancing
Located in Atlanta, GA
French Early 19th Century Tea caddy Featuring marquetry Inlay of Figures Dancing
Wood
Rare English Mahogany Tea Caddy - Form of Chest of Drawers c.1880
Located in Bath, GB
A very handsome and rare large Victorian tea caddy created in the form of a chest of drawers. Made from Mahogany, the drawers are obviously false with a satinwood front trimmed with...
Wood
Exceptional 19th C Parquetry Tea Caddy with Serpentine Sides Marked TAHAN Paris
By Tahan Paris
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
An exceptional double chamber tea caddy with geometric parquetry panels with crossbanded edges. Each of the four sides of serpentine form and raised on a conforming plinth base edged...
Brass
$1,063Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Tea Caddy, English, Loose Leaf Canister, Mixing Glass, Regency, C.1820
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique tea caddy. An English, flame mahogany loose leaf tea container with glass mixer, dating to the Regency period, circa 1820. Attractive Regency period caddy with fi...
Glass, Wood
English Victorian 1870s Tea Caddy with Faux Painted Tortoise Finish and Brass
Located in Atlanta, GA
An English Victorian tea caddy from the late 19th century, with faux painted tortoise finish and patinated brass accents. Born during the third quarter of the 19th century during the...
Brass
$1,580Sale Price|20% Off
19th Century Chinese Canton Export Lacquered Giltwood Tea Caddy on Shishi Feet
Located in Haarlem, NL
Clover or quartreform shaped mid-19th century Chinese canton export tea caddy in gold lacquered wood on a black background. Decorated with palace scenes animated with figures engage...
Pewter
George III Mahogany Tea Caddy with Cut Corners and Two Conch Shell Inlays
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
George III mahogany double tea caddy of rectangular form with cut corners and boxwood string inlay. The front and top with large oval inlays of conch shells.
Wood
English Georgian Mahogany Tea Caddy Box
Located in Queens, NY
English Georgian (18/19th Century) mahogany tea caddy box on bracket feet with inlaid satinwood and ebony banding and a hinged stepped up top with a brass handle and escutcheon
Wood
Vintage English Floral Inlaid Decorative Tea Caddy
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Exemplifying high Victorian craftsmanship, this late 19th-century English tea caddy features a serpentine-front bombe silhouette finished in black lacquer with hand-painted gilt scro...
Metal
$3,800Sale Price|20% Off
Rare Regency Brass Inlaid Rosewood Tea Caddy with Secret Drawer
Located in Kittery Point, ME
Of sarcophagus form with geometric brass stringing throughout, with embossed gilt-brass ring handles to the sides, the interior fitted with twin lidded lead-lined caddies separated b...
Brass
$2,316Sale Price|20% Off
19th C. Anglo-Indian Hand Carved 4-Section Tea Caddy Inset W/ Tin Manganese Tile
Located in Atlanta, GA
A highly unusual Antique hand carved 4-section tea caddy. The box which features a carved ribbon edge hinged lid, which opens to reveal four individually wood lined tea boxes with br...
Brass
Coconut Bugbear Box/Tea Caddy by Unknown Sailor
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Coconut Bugbear Box/Tea Caddy by Unknown Sailor A carved coconut bugbear in the form of a box with an unhinged lid with a carved image of a bird on a branch. Carved around the lid a...
Wood
Coconut Bugbear Box/Tea Caddy by Unknown Sailor
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Coconut Bugbear Box/Tea Caddy by Unknown Sailor A large carved coconut bugbear in the form of a box with a metal hinged lid. Carved around the lid are the words SOI D. MATYLDE BRENE...
Wood
Great Shape & Color, Antique Tea Caddy inNutwood with Brass Lock and Hinges
Located in Lisse, NL
The inner lining was mostly made of tin foil and that was there so that the natural tea flavour would not 'blend' with the organic wood of the box.
Brass
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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