Silver Tea Caddies Antique
1750s British George II Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
1760s English Rococo Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
Mid-18th Century British Georgian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
19th Century English Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
1890s Russian Other Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
Mid-18th Century English George II Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver, Sterling Silver
1890s English Art Deco Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver Plate
1790s English George III Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Art Deco Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver Plate
1890s American Dutch Colonial Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver Plate
1920s Dutch Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
19th Century English Victorian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
1880s Dutch Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
Early 19th Century Dutch Empire Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
Early 1800s Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
18th Century British George III Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century British Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
Late 18th Century English George III Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
Late 18th Century British Georgian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver, Sterling Silver
1880s British Victorian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s British Edwardian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
1920s European Other Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
19th Century Dutch Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
Late 19th Century British Neoclassical Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver, Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century English Edwardian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver Plate, Copper
1880s Indian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
19th Century Chinese Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
Early 19th Century Victorian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver Plate
1870s English Victorian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver Plate
19th Century English Chippendale Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver Plate
Mid-19th Century British Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver Plate
1920s English Art Deco Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Victorian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver, Sterling Silver
1860s Austrian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
Late 18th Century Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
1890s Hong Kong Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
1780s Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s English Edwardian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
1890s Russian Chinoiserie Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
Mid-19th Century French Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver Plate, Brass
Early 1800s English Neoclassical Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
1790s English George III Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
1860s English Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver Plate
1780s English George III Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
1770s English Neoclassical Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s English Edwardian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
1860s English Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
19th Century German Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
Early 19th Century German Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
1870s English Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
Late 19th Century English Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sheffield Plate
Early 1800s English George III Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
Late 19th Century Indian Anglo Raj Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century American Colonial Revival Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Sterling Silver
18th Century Irish Georgian Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Crystal, Sterling Silver
Late 18th Century English Chippendale Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Brass
1870s English Silver Tea Caddies Antique
Silver
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Silver Tea Caddies Antique For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Silver Tea Caddies Antique?
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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