Tea Caddy

BK Art & Antiques, Gloucester, November 11Buyer’s premium: 15 per cent

ALTHOUGH catalogued as a late 18th century fruitwood apple form tea caddy, this finely turned and carved 5 1/2in (13cm) high vessel sold by Biddle & Webb (15% buyer’s premium) on April 1 was more accurately a melon.

Antique Boxes, Tea Caddies & Society 1700-1880 by Antigone Clarke & Joseph 0’Kelly, published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd, distributed by Bushwood Books, 6 Marksbury Avenue, Kew Gardens, Surrey TW9 4JF. ISBN 0764316885 £69.95hb

Stones’ Pocket Guide to Tea Caddies, by Noel Riley, published by June and Tony Stone Antique Boxes, PO Box 106, Peacehaven, East Sussex BN10 8AU. £12.50 to include p&p. Tel: 01273 579333 email: rachel@boxes.co.uk www.boxes.co.uk

Tea-drinking first took off in the West in the late 17th century and in its wake came a whole host of paraphernalia associated with the consumption and storage of the beverage.

THE nationwide buyer-base of Lays auctioneers was reflected by concerns far beyond the Duchy – Bath dealers, for instance, were particularly worried about selling on to American clients. However, a £213,076 total from 1906 lots was proof enough that business is still there to be done.

UK: TEA caddies and Tunbridgeware are both hot sellers at present and the combination in the form of this pretty piece, right, was irresistible to half a dozen bidders at the two-day sale held by Rendells (10 per cent buyer’s premium) at Ashburton on May 24 and 25.

UK: AS with spoons, silver takes on an extra glow in the currently buoyant market for tea caddies an example of which came up at the April 26/27 sale at Taunton held by Greenslade Taylor Hunt’s (15% buyer’s premium).