Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
1750s British George II Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
1820s English Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Glass, Wood
19th Century English Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
Late 18th Century British George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Brass
Early 19th Century Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
1810s English Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
Late 18th Century British George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Tin
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Mahogany
19th Century Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood, Paint
Early 1800s European Georgian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
19th Century British Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Brass
19th Century British Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Bone, Wood
1830s English Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Glass, Wood
Mid-19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Brass
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Boxwood, Yew
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Other
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Yew
19th Century Regency Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
Early 19th Century George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Steel
Mid-19th Century English Regency Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Rosewood
19th Century Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood, Paint
1780s English George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Ebony, Kingwood, Harewood, Holly, Burl
19th Century Chinese Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Zinc
18th Century English Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
1840s Indian Anglo-Indian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Mother-of-Pearl, Rosewood
1880s French Napoleon III Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Beech, Birdseye Maple
Early 19th Century American Regency Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
Early 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Crystal, Brass
Late 18th Century English Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
Early 1800s English George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Sycamore
Mid-18th Century English Chippendale Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Mahogany
Early 1800s English George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Satinwood, Tulipwood, Yew
Early 1800s English Georgian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Paper
Mid-18th Century English Georgian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Mahogany
Mid-18th Century English Georgian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Chinoiserie Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood, Paper
Early 19th Century English William IV Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
Early 1800s European George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood, Sycamore
Early 20th Century American Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
Early 19th Century Georgian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Brass
19th Century British Regency Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
1860s French Napoleon III Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Brass
Mid-19th Century English Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Oak, Wood
1860s British Victorian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Yew
19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Pewter
Early 19th Century Victorian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Mahogany
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Mahogany
1780s English Georgian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
Early 1800s English Chinoiserie Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Metal, Foil
1860s British Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
1880s English Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Brass
Late 18th Century English Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Brass, Zinc
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Brass, Metal
Mid-19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
1780s Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
1860s Scottish Victorian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Wood
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies
Silver, Sterling Silver
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Antique Wood Tea Caddy Tea Caddies For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Antique Wood 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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