Tea Caddies
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Mahogany
1820s George IV Antique Tea Caddies
Amboyna
19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Tea Caddies
Lacquer
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Mahogany
19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Sycamore, Hardwood, Walnut, Satinwood, Boxwood
19th Century Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Tea Caddies
Ceramic
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Other
Early 1800s English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Paper
Early 19th Century English George IV Antique Tea Caddies
Brass, Pewter
Early 19th Century European Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
19th Century Antique Tea Caddies
Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century German Art Nouveau Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
Late 20th Century Japanese Victorian Tea Caddies
Ceramic
Early 19th Century Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Rosewood
Early 19th Century Early Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Rosewood
1820s English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Yew
Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Tea Caddies
Mahogany
1780s British Neoclassical Antique Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Oak, Burl
1790s English Neoclassical Antique Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
1950s European Vintage Tea Caddies
Brass
Late 18th Century British George III Antique Tea Caddies
Cut Steel
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Paper
Early 19th Century Scottish William IV Antique Tea Caddies
Sycamore
1920s German Vintage Tea Caddies
Ceramic
Mid-19th Century English Gothic Revival Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
1890s English Art Deco Antique Tea Caddies
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Tea Caddies
Giltwood, Lacquer
Early 19th Century British Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Metal, Brass
Mid-19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antique Tea Caddies
Wood
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Rosewood
Mid-19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
18th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
Mid-19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
20th Century Art Nouveau Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Other
1810s British Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Mahogany
1780s European Neoclassical Antique Tea Caddies
Porcelain
1920s British Art Deco Vintage Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
19th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Wood
Early 1800s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Tea Caddies
Lacquer
Mid-20th Century Indian Islamic Tea Caddies
Copper
Late 19th Century Arts and Crafts Antique Tea Caddies
Tin
Early 20th Century French Tea Caddies
Brass, Steel
19th Century American Antique Tea Caddies
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Birch, Mahogany
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Tea Caddies
Brass
Early 20th Century Chinese Tea Caddies
Wood, Lacquer
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Rosewood
1730s English Rococo Antique Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Metal
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.