Tea caddy is the name for a small box made to hold tea leaves. In the eighteenth century, tea was very expensive and it was stored under lock and key. The first tea caddies were made with locks. By the nineteenth century, tea was more plentiful and the tea caddy was larger. Often there were two sections, one for green tea, one for black tea. Tea caddies were made of porcelain, silver, or, for the less well-to-do, painted tin.
Note******Info found on the internet…
A wonderful English mother of pearl and abalone tea caddy with interior ivory trim and vegetable ivory bun feet, circa 1830*
Of sarcophagus form, the hinged lid enclosing a pair of lidded compartments, raised on disk feet.
height 5 3/4in (14.5cm); width 6 7/8in (17.5cm); depth 4in (10cm)
Estimate:US$ 2,000 – 3,000
£1,300 – 2,000 €1,500 – 2,300
