Tea Caddies
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
1890s English British Colonial Antique Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Early 1800s Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
1890s Antique Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Pearlware, Pottery
1870s English Antique Tea Caddies
Tortoise Shell
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Tea Caddies
Wood, Mirror
19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Tea Caddies
Pottery
1880s Dutch Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
Mid-18th Century English George II Antique Tea Caddies
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tea Caddies
Enamel
1780s English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Wood
19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Tea Caddies
Pewter
1870s English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Silver, Sterling Silver
1810s English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Mother-of-Pearl, Rosewood
Late 19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Metal
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Tin
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Caddies
Art Glass, Murano Glass
1760s Austrian Rococo Antique Tea Caddies
Enamel
1890s Hong Kong Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
1930s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tea Caddies
Pewter
Early 1800s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Pewter
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Beech
1760s English Rococo Antique Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
1790s British Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Satinwood
Early 1800s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Early 18th Century Welsh Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
1890s Russian Other Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tea Caddies
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Minimalist Tea Caddies
Ceramic
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Mahogany
Late 19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Tea Caddies
Pewter
19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Mahogany
19th Century English Chippendale Antique Tea Caddies
Silver Plate
1860s English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Wood
20th Century Russian Other Tea Caddies
Silver
1870s English Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Mahogany
Early 1900s German Antique Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
1890s Dutch Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
19th Century Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Walnut
Early 1800s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Silver, Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Wood
1940s Belgian Primitive Vintage Tea Caddies
Metal
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Tea Caddies
Porcelain
17th Century English William and Mary Antique Tea Caddies
Olive
Early 19th Century European Neoclassical Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
Mid-19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Tin
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tea Caddies
Enamel
19th Century Chinese Antique Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
19th Century Chinese Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
1860s English Antique Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
1950s Austrian Vintage Tea Caddies
Silver
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century British Antique Tea Caddies
Wood
Mid-18th Century Great Britain (UK) Chippendale Antique Tea Caddies
Mahogany
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.