Meissen Tea Cups
Mid-20th Century German Tea Sets
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Tea Sets
Porcelain
Antique 1790s German Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Tea Sets
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century German Aesthetic Movement Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique 1880s German Tea Sets
Porcelain
Antique Late 19th Century Victorian Porcelain
Porcelain, Hardwood
Early 20th Century Serving Pieces
Porcelain
Vintage 1930s German Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1920s German Porcelain
Porcelain
Recent Sales
Antique 1750s German Rococo Tea Sets
Porcelain
Antique 1750s German Rococo Tea Sets
Porcelain
Vintage 1940s German Tea Sets
Porcelain
Antique 18th Century German Tea Sets
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Ming Tea Sets
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century German Rococo Revival Tea Sets
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique 18th Century German Porcelain
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Rococo Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1970s German Other Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1970s German Other Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1970s German Other Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1970s German Other Porcelain
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century German Victorian Tea Sets
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Porcelain
Porcelain
Vintage 1950s German Rococo Tea Sets
Porcelain
Vintage 1960s German Chinese Export Tea Sets
Porcelain
20th Century Tea Sets
Porcelain
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Tea Sets
Enamel
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Tea Sets
Porcelain
Vintage 1960s German Rococo Tea Sets
Porcelain
Vintage 1980s German Romantic Tea Sets
Porcelain
Antique 1770s German Rococo Tea Sets
Porcelain
Vintage 1930s German Neoclassical Tea Sets
Porcelain
Antique 19th Century German Porcelain
Porcelain
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Meissen Tea Cups For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Meissen Tea Cups?
Finding the Right Tea-sets for You
Ready to serve high tea and brunch for your family and friends? Start with the right antique, new or vintage tea set.
Tea is a multicultural, multinational beverage and isn’t confined to any particular lifestyle or age group. It has humble beginnings, and one of its best-known origin stories places the first cups of tea in 2700 B.C. in China, where it was recognized for its medicinal properties. Jump ahead to 17th-century England, when Chinese tea began to arrive at ports in London. During the early 1800s, tea became widely affordable, and the concept of teatime took shape all over England. Today, more than 150 million people reportedly drink tea daily in the United States.
Early tea drinkers enjoyed their beverage in a bowl, and English potters eventually added a handle to the porcelain bowls so that burning your fingers became less of a teatime hazard. With the rise in the popularity of teatime, tea sets, also referred to as tea service, became a hot commodity.
During Queen Victoria’s reign, teakettles and coffeepots were added to tea services that were quite large — indeed, small baked goods were served with your drink back then, and a tea set could include many teacups and saucers, a milk pot and other accessories.
During the early 1920s, a sterling-silver full tea service and tray designed by Tiffany & Co. might include a hot-water kettle on a stand, a coffeepot, teapot, a creamer with a small lip spout, a waste bowl and a bowl for sugar, which the British were stirring into tea as early as the 18th century.
But you don’t have to limit your tea set to Victorian or Art Deco styles — shake up teatime with an artful contemporary service. If the bold porcelain cups and saucers by Italian brand Seletti are too unconventional for your otherwise subdued tea circle, find antique services on 1stDibs from Japan, France and other locales as well as vintage mid-century modern tea sets and neoclassical designs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Handleless tea cups are called “sipper cups”, and are probably the oldest form of tea cups. There’s also a proper way to use them - two fingers on the bottom and your thumb on top of the cup. On 1stDibs, find vintage and contemporary tea cups from some of the top sellers around the world.











