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Tea Caddies For Sale
Regency English Penwork Double Tea Caddy
Located in Downingtown, PA
Regency English Penwork Double Tea Caddy,
England, Circa 1820
A striking example of Regency-era craftsmanship, this rectangular double tea caddy showcases the elegance and precision...
Category
Early 19th Century Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Wood
Mid 19th Century Tea caddy - Napoleon III - Ebonized and Inlayed
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
Elegant Napoleon III period tea caddy, finely decorated with intricate mother-of-pearl inlay forming a geometric clover pattern on the lid, framed by delicate brass stringing. The ri...
Category
1860s French Napoleon III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
Antique English Burl Burr Walnut Wooden Victorian Double Tea Caddy 19th Century
Located in Dublin, Ireland
A Superb Example of an English Georgian style Well figured Burr Walnut Double Interior Section Tea Caddy of quite rare dome top and spreading base outline, generous proportions and o...
Category
Mid-19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany, Walnut, Burl
$742 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique English Georgian Silver Tea Caddy by William Vincent
Located in Northampton, GB
Hallmarked Sterling by William Vincent of London Dated 1779
From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this Georgian Sterling Silver Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of slight...
Category
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
Antique English Faux Tortoise Shell Regency Style Tea Caddy Box
Located in Atlanta, GA
The object depicted is a fine English faux tortoiseshell tea caddy, dating to the first quarter of the 19th century, likely c. 1810–1825, during the late Regency to early William IV ...
Category
19th Century British Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Shell
19th Century English Regency Tea Caddy
Located in Charlottesville, VA
A large English tea caddy. It is mahogany with brass feet.
Category
19th Century British Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
English Sterling Silver "Paint Tin" Tea Caddy / Canister by Asprey & Co - 1929
Located in Bath, GB
These novelty solid sterling silver boxes or Canisters are always highly sought-after in the form of a paint tin with a lift off lid.
This one is made by the creme de la creme of si...
Category
1920s British Vintage Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
Tea Caddy - Elie Bleu Paris
By Elie Bleu
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A beautiful vintage tea caddy, made by the French brand Elie Bleu Paris.
The box is made of beautifully veneered / greened wood with black piping. Th...
Category
Early 2000s French Modern Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver Plate
Large Georgian Mahogany Tea Caddy
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
A good quality Georgian 18th century mahogany rectangular tea caddy having replacement brass axe drop handle to hinged lid enclosing cavity with attractive inlaid decoration throughout.
Tea was of course a very precious commodity throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and the purpose of a tea caddy was not just to preserve the and extend the life of the precious tea leaves...
Category
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
Antique Georgian Locking Sterling Silver Tea Caddy Henry Chawner London 1787
Located in Portland, OR
A fine antique Georgian engraved sterling silver tea caddy, by Henry Chawner, London, 1787.
Of fluted oval form with bright-cut floral borders with ...
Category
1780s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver
Superb Quality Antique Victorian Burr Walnut and Brass Mounted Tea Caddy
Located in Suffolk, GB
Superb quality antique Victorian burr walnut and brass mounted tea caddy having a superb quality antique Victorian burr walnut tea caddy with a d...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
Georgian 18th Century Mahogany Tea Caddy
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
A Late 18th century Georgian Period Mahogany Oblong tea caddy having very attractive inlaid decoration to front and hinged top enclosing double lidded interior with original paper foil landing.
This particular caddy is relatively plain and simple in design, but is lifted significantly with the attractive inlaid decoration.
It remains in relatively good condition and had clearly been well loved throughout its life.
Tea was a precious commodity throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and the purpose of a tea caddy was not just to preserve the and extend the life of the precious tea leaves, but also to enable the owner to lock away those aforementioned valuable tea leaves, keeping them safe from the house staffs potential wandering hands.
This 18th century tea caddy...
Category
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
Circa 1870 Napoleon III French Tea Caddy
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Circa 1870 Napoleon III French Tea Caddy. Fine quality with Old Paris Porcelain fittings - 2 tea caddies & a sugar caddy. The box is inlaid with engraved brass. Each porcelain caddy ...
Category
1870s French Napoleon III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
English Regency Pagoda Form Tea Caddy
Located in Lyndhurst, NJ
Unusual pagoda form caddy finely figured veneers. Interior lids are original and match the exterior of the caddy, resting on brass ball feet
Category
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Tortoise Shell
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...
Category
Mid-19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Pewter
$1,580 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Russian Imperial Silver Chinoiserie Tea Caddy Gustav Klingert Moscow
Located in Portland, OR
A fine quality antique Russian Imperial silver tea caddy, engraved in the Chinoiserie style, by Gustav Klingert, Moscow, dated 1894.
Gu...
Category
1890s Russian Chinoiserie Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver
Norwegian Solid Birch Expandable Sewing Stand Organizer Made in Norway MINT
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Norwegian Solid Birch Expandable Sewing Stand Organizer Made in Norway MINT
Category
20th Century Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Tea Caddies
Materials
Birch
Antique Continental Melon Fruit Novelty Tea Caddy
Located in Northampton, GB
Round Shape with Ring Handle
From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted off this Antique Continental Melon Fruit Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy made from Sycamore and of novelty form...
Category
Early 1800s European George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Steel
Antique English Georgian Blonde Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy
Located in Northampton, GB
Faced In Boxwood
From our Tea Caddy collection, we are thrilled to offer this Antique Blonde Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy. The Tea Chest of tapered rectangular shape with silver stringin...
Category
Early 1800s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver Plate
18th Century Tea Caddy, Attributed to Landall & Gordon
Located in Richmond, London
A superb and very rare mid-18th century George II period brass-inlaid tea caddy, attributed to Landall & Gordon. English, circa 1750.
Why we like it
Gorgeous proportions combined w...
Category
Mid-18th Century Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
Victorian sterling silver tea caddy made in London in 1891
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in London in 1891 by John Henry Rawlings, this very handsome, Victorian, Antique Sterling Silver Tea Caddy, is plain in design, octagonal in shape and with reed borders. T...
Category
1890s English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
Period Georgian Tea Caddy, Circa 1790-1810
Located in High Point, NC
Circa 1790-1810 period Georgian tea caddy made from Mahogany. The tea caddy has been used well and loved over many centuries. The top has a brass ring with which to lift the lid. ...
Category
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany, Satinwood
21st century Italian Sterling Silver hexagonal Tea/Candy Box
By Del Conte
Located in VALENZA, IT
21st century Italian Sterling Silver hexagonal Tea/Caddy Box
Hexagonal sterling silver tea box,
shaped completely by hand.
The body has rounded edges and has been left completely s...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
19th Century Geometrically Inlaid Double Chamber Tea Caddy
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Double chamber tea caddy with burr walnut sides and back having intricately inlaid geometric top and front. The hinged top opening to a divided interior with two light wood covers wi...
Category
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Wood
19th Century Black Tea Caddy
Located in Charlottesville, VA
A very unusual Ebonized wood tea caddy
Category
19th Century Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Wood, Paint
Regency Tortoiseshell and Mother of Pearl Serpentine Tea Caddy
Located in Northampton, GB
Featuring Alternating Panels
From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this fine Regency Tortoiseshell and Mother of Pearl Serpentine Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of rect...
Category
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Tortoise Shell, Mother-of-Pearl
20Thc Tin Coffee Canister
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Early 20Thc Coffee tin canister in original painted labels & original condition.
Category
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Tea Caddies
Materials
Tin
19th Century English Penwork Tea Caddy
Located in Atlanta, GA
19th Century English Penwork Tea Caddy
Category
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Wood
18th Century Sterling Silver Locking Tea Caddy
By Michael Plummer
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Georgian English sterling silver locking tea caddy; an addition to our silver teaware collection.
This exceptional antique George III sterling silver locking tea caddy has a navette, paneled shaped form.
The body of this silver tea caddy box is embellished with bands of bright cut engraved volute spiraling leaf ornamentation on a matte background to the upper and lower portions; these bands flank a plain undulating bordered panel.
The ornamentation to the surface of the caddy alternates with panels of concave vertical fluted decoration.
This antique Georgian tea caddy is retains the original hallmarked flush hinged covers; the flush hinge indicates the fine quality of this piece.
The cover is embellished with further bright cut engraved undulating borders accented with bud motifs, in addition to simplified borders paralleling the domed paneled portion; the domed portions reflects the incurved shape of the body.
This impressive cover is surmounted with a cast sterling silver urn style finial, in the Classic Adams style.
The caddy retains the original fitted fully working lock and functional key.
This sterling silver tea caddy is a highly desirable shape and style.
Condition:
This Georgian silver tea caddy...
Category
1790s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver, Sterling Silver
Regency Inlaid Tea Caddy
By Regency
Located in London, GB
Regeny Heavily inlaid Brass Tea Caddy
This Tea Caddy in Walnut and Elevated on Four Bun Feet
Some Minor Nicks
The Interior Consists of a Tea Compartment with Shedding Paint
Category
Early 19th Century British Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Walnut
$2,144 Sale Price
20% Off
English Inlaid Mahogany Tea Caddy with Elaborate Crossbanding and Swag Inlay
Located in San Francisco, CA
An extremely fine quality inlaid mahogany tea caddy of elegant small size, the top and front with elaborate crossbanding and circular fan inay, the front with further swag inlay, the...
Category
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Boxwood, Mahogany, Rosewood
Edwardian Period Sterling Silver Ball-Footed Tea Caddy With HInged Lid
Located in New York, NY
Edwardian Period, sterling silver tea caddy on ball feet, and having a hinged lid and hinged, movable handles, Birmingham, England, year-hallmarked for 1908. Lovely, clean lines. Mea...
Category
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
English 19th Century Domed Top Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy
Located in Atlanta, GA
English 19th Century Domed Top Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy with Silver Inlay and Ball feet
Category
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Tortoise Shell
19th Century Chinese Export Tea Caddy
Located in Charlottesville, VA
A black lacquered tea caddy. Great decoration and has interior compartment.
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Wood, Paint
Rare Georg Jensen Sterling Silver Tea Caddy 322
By Johan Rohde
Located in Hellerup, DK
A vintage sterling silver Georg Jensen tea caddy with floral finial, design #322 by Johan Rohde from 1920.
Additional information:
Material: St...
Category
20th Century Art Nouveau Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
Boulle marquetry tea box, Napoléon III period, late 19th century signed Vervelle
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
Beautiful Boulle marquetry and blackened wood tea box / tea caddy, brass pattern inlaid, mahogany veneer inside. Mid 19th century circa 1840 - 1850, typic...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
19th Century English Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy
Located in Atlanta, GA
19th Century English Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy
Category
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Tortoise Shell
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Walnut Veneer Parquetry Tea Caddy
Located in Reading, Berkshire
A 19th Century Antique English Victorian Ebonised Walnut Veneer Tea Caddy With Brass Handle & Lead Lining
A Charming tea caddy with decorative walnut veneer parquetry.
A tea cadd...
Category
19th Century British Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
$1,264 Sale Price
23% Off
English Silver Plate Tea Caddy / Thin Biscuit
Located in Tarry Town, NY
Mid 19th century English sheffield silver plate tea caddy / thin biscuit with exterior design details and attached covered top . The tea caddy ...
Category
Mid-19th Century English Edwardian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver Plate, Copper
Early Victorian Penwork Tea Caddy
Located in Montreal, QC
This tea caddy is of sarcophagus form , oblong with a raised panelled lid, painted with autumnal fruit and flowers. The exterior is brilliantly decorated in penwork with stylised flo...
Category
1840s English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Wood
English Antique Georgian Henry Clay Papier Mache Tea Caddy
By Henry Clay
Located in Northampton, GB
Featuring Countryside Scenes
From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to introduce to the market this Papier Mache Tea Caddy by Henry Clay. The Henry Clay Tea Caddy of oval ...
Category
Early 1800s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Paper
18th Century Walnut Tea Caddy
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
An Attractive Early 18th Century George II Period Walnut Tea Caddy Of Rectangular Form, Having Crossbanded And Inlaid Decoration To Top Enclosing Three Divisions, With Original Brass...
Category
Early 18th Century English George II Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Walnut
Antique Georgian Sterling Silver Locking Tea Caddy
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Georgian English sterling silver locking tea caddy; an addition to our silver teaware collection
This exceptional antique Georgian sterling silver tea caddy has a cylindrical form.
The upper and lower portions of this Aesthetic style silver tea caddy is embellished with bands of bright cut engraved floral bud designs; further vertical bands segment the body into five equal portions, each encompassed with undulating wrigglework borders.
The anterior portion of the body is ornamented with a bright cut engraved rectangular cut cornered cartouche encompassed with a radiating simplified floral and scrolling foliate decoration and featuring the contemporary engraved crest of a lion's head collared and erased.
The further four segments bear Chinoiserie bright cut engraved Chinese symbols representing the four seasons: spring (? / chun), summer (? / xia), autumn (? / qiu) and winter (? / dong).
This antique silver tea caddy retains the original hallmarked flush hinged cover; the flush hinge indicates the fine quality of this piece.
The cover is encompassed with further bands of bright cut engraved decoration, reflecting the designs to the body.
This impressive cover is surmounted with the original, exceptional carved wood and sterling silver pineapple...
Category
1780s British George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1940s Spanish Silver Fish Sugar Box
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
A magnificent, fine and impressive, large vintage Spanish silver sugar box realistically modelled in the form of a fish; an addition to our animal related silverware collection
This magnificent and large vintage Spanish silver box has been realistically modelled in the form of a fish.
This impressive fish shaped box has an articulated body, allowing the fish's position to be customised.
The body of this vintage sugar box is embellished with separate dorsal and pectoral fins, in addition to rows of chased scales and anatomical features.
This vintage silver fish box retains the original hinged cover/head, featuring the original large bead eyes.
Such large examples are rare to the market and becoming increasingly difficult to locate.
Condition
This silver fish shaped box is an exceptional gauge of silver, exceptional quality and in exceptional condition.
The Spanish hallmarks...
Category
1940s Spanish Vintage Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver
George III Period Mahogany Tea Caddy
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
A Very Good Quality 18th century, Georgian Mahogany Rectangular Tea Caddy, Having Original Brass Handle To Hinged Top, Enclosing Divisions, With Unusual Glazed Panels To Front Bearin...
Category
Mid-18th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
Antique Chinese Export Black Lacquer Tea Caddy
Located in Forney, TX
A stunning antique Qing Dynasty Chinese export twin canister tea caddy / decorative table box. circa 1860
Hand-crafted in China for the European market when rare and exotic oriental...
Category
19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Pewter
Regency Penwork Tea Chest
Located in Northampton, GB
Sycamore Tea Chest Circa 1815
From our Tea Caddies collection, we are delighted to offer this Regency Penwork Tea Chest. The Chest crafted from Syca...
Category
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Sycamore
$4,805 Sale Price
30% Off
19th Century Toleware Grocer’s Shop Tea Tin
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
19th century toleware grocer’s shop tea tin,
A beautiful decorative Grocers Tea Canister, it would have been filled with Tea for sale, it has a very attractive style. The lid is...
Category
Late 19th Century Arts and Crafts Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Tin
Rare Regency Architectural Pressed Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy
Located in Northampton, GB
Pressed Tortoiseshell Design
From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this Regency Architectural Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of bombe form with flared bas...
Category
1810s British Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Shell
Georgian Style Burton-Ching burl Walnut Regency Tea Caddy
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Georgian Style Burton-Ching burl Walnut Regency Tea Caddy
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Georgian Tea Caddies
Materials
Walnut
Chinese Large Mother of Pearl Mounted Armorial Tea Caddy for MacPherson
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A rare, incredible and large antique Chinese carved mother of pearl mounted tea caddy with armorial for MacPherson and dating from circa...
Category
1770s Chinese Qing Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mother-of-Pearl
Vintage Balsa Wood and Tin Lined Tea Box Workshop Prop Decor Storage
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Vintage balsa wood, and tin lined lidded tea box, retaining partial labels.
Category
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Caddies
Materials
Wood, Paper
$236 Sale Price
20% Off
18th Century Mahogany Tea Caddy
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
A late 18th century, Georgian, Mahogany tea caddy having extremely attractive inlaid conch shells, banded and strung decoration, with hinged lid enclosing lidded interior retaining partial paper foil lining.
This particular caddy is relatively plain and simple in design, but the attractive inlaid decoration lifts it significantly.
The condition remains relatively good and clearly it has been well loved throughout its life.
Tea was a precious commodity throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and the purpose of a tea caddy was not just to preserve the and extend the life of the precious tea leaves, but also to enable the owner to lock away those aforementioned valuable tea leaves, keeping them safe from the house staffs potential wandering hands.
This 18th century tea caddy...
Category
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
French Napoleon III Boulle Tea Caddy
Located in Northampton, GB
Single Tea Caddy Compartment
From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to bring to market this Antique French Boulle Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy o...
Category
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Bronze, Ormolu
George II Period Mahogany Tea Caddy
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
An 18th Century, George II Period, Mahogany Rectangular Tea Caddy Having Original Brass Swan Neck Handle To Hinged Top, Enclosing Three Interior Divisions And Elegant Canted Corners,...
Category
Early 18th Century English George II Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
Mother of Pearl Tea Caddy
Located in Dallas, TX
This beautifully crafted mother of pearl tea caddy from circa 1860 is a true testament to English craftsmanship and elegance. The exterior glows wi...
Category
1860s French Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Antique Regency Rosewood Brass & Floral Marquetry Inlaid Sarcophagus Tea Caddy
Located in King's Lynn, GB
A 19th Century regency antique rosewood inlaid marquetry tea caddy sarcophagus-form box, in good condition with marquetry to the top and front with wooden circular carrying handles w...
Category
Early 19th Century British Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Rosewood
Emerald Green Goat Skin Covered Wooden Cylinder Box in the Style of Aldo Tura
By Aldo Tura
Located in Winnetka, IL
This is a beautiful emerald green goat skin cylinder box with a brass pineapple finial on lid and wooden interior in the style of Aldo Tura.
Category
1950s European Vintage Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
Antique Irish Georgian Hand Cut Crystal Sterling Silver Tea Caddy George III
Located in Dublin, Ireland
An exceptionally rare Irish George III hand cut full lead crystal single tea caddy of rectangular outline with canted corners and outstanding quality, first quarter of the nineteenth century.
The finely chased silver mounted rim and hinged cover, hand cut with three bands of lozenges on a plain ground, decorative star cut base underneath.
Condition: Exceptional condition for such an early piece, with no losses or clouding inside, silver mounts are unmarked but test positive for silver. Wonderful age wear underneath on base. Lock is present but key does not turn. Back and front views are similar.
Measures: Height: 5.25” (13.5cm). Width: 3.75” (9.5cm). Depth: 3” (7.5cm).
Location: Dublin City, Ireland.
Stunning and rare Tea Caddy...
Category
18th Century Irish Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Crystal, Sterling Silver
Fine quality antique Regency rosewood tea caddy
Located in Ipswich, GB
Fine quality antique Regency rosewood tea caddy, having a outstanding quality 19th Century rosewood and mother of pearl inlaid sarcophagus shaped tea caddy, with a quality carved mou...
Category
Early 19th Century Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Rosewood
Vintage, New and Antique Tea Caddies
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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