Antique Tea Caddy Box
Early 1800s Antique Tea Caddy Box
Silver
1890s Russian Other Antique Tea Caddy Box
Silver
Late 18th Century Belgian George III Antique Tea Caddy Box
Sycamore
1880s Dutch Antique Tea Caddy Box
Silver
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Other
Early 1800s European Georgian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Wood
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Rosewood
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Ash
Early 19th Century British Antique Tea Caddy Box
Tin
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Mahogany
1860s French Antique Tea Caddy Box
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood
Late 18th Century British George III Antique Tea Caddy Box
Cut Steel
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Boxwood, Yew
Early 20th Century Chinese Antique Tea Caddy Box
Wood, Lacquer
Mid-19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddy Box
Rosewood
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Other
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Oak, Burl
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Paper
1780s English George III Antique Tea Caddy Box
Ebony, Kingwood, Harewood, Holly, Burl
19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddy Box
Bronze
Mid-19th Century British Regency Antique Tea Caddy Box
Satinwood
19th Century Regency Antique Tea Caddy Box
Wood
Mid-19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Paper
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddy Box
Yew
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddy Box
Wood
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Yew
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddy Box
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Regency Antique Tea Caddy Box
Wood
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddy Box
Yew
Late 19th Century English High Victorian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Wood
19th Century French Louis XIV Antique Tea Caddy Box
Wood
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddy Box
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddy Box
Tortoise Shell
Late 19th Century British Late Victorian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Walnut
19th Century British Antique Tea Caddy Box
Brass
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Tea Caddy Box
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 19th Century Regency Antique Tea Caddy Box
Rosewood
Late 18th Century George III Antique Tea Caddy Box
Sycamore
19th Century British Antique Tea Caddy Box
Brass
Early 18th Century English George II Antique Tea Caddy Box
Mahogany
19th Century Chinese Antique Tea Caddy Box
Zinc
Mid-18th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddy Box
Mahogany
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Mahogany
Late 18th Century English George II Antique Tea Caddy Box
Glass, Boxwood, Paper
19th Century German Antique Tea Caddy Box
Silver
Late 19th Century Empire Antique Tea Caddy Box
Wood, Mahogany
19th Century Chinese Antique Tea Caddy Box
Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century English Antique Tea Caddy Box
Tortoise Shell
1820s British Regency Antique Tea Caddy Box
Boxwood, Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Antique Tea Caddy Box
Rosewood
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddy Box
Tortoise Shell
Late 19th Century German Art Nouveau Antique Tea Caddy Box
Silver
Late 19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Tea Caddy Box
Pewter
Mid-18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddy Box
Mahogany
Early 1800s English Georgian Antique Tea Caddy Box
Paper
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddy Box
Rosewood
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Antique Tea Caddy Box For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Antique Tea Caddy Box?
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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