Featured English Tortoiseshell tea caddy but seller said Chinese

Discussion in 'Antique Discussion' started by shamster, Jan 25, 2025.

  1. shamster

    shamster Well-Known Member

    30562ae59633be8e3f408c6852fd29e3.jpeg 45a4bcbcaccb1336d20c88c4c3979afe.jpeg I found this 19th century tortoiseshell tea caddy on Chinese eBay and seller asked for less than 200 GBP. He described it as late Qing jewelry box which he seemingly has little knowledge as this is clearly a tea caddy. I asked him if this is English, and he insisted Chinese because of the MOP inlay. Can I get it wrong since all components look identical to the British example s? Or could this be Chinese export? But none of the European sellers had mentioned that…
     
  2. kyratango

    kyratango Bug jewellery addiction!

    English for me, thistles in the decor... Maybe the top plaque could have been commissioned in India by the maker to be made from a template with English design?
     
  3. shamster

    shamster Well-Known Member

    It could be! As for the whole caddy I really don’t think it could be anything but Georgian or regency.
     
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  4. laura9797

    laura9797 Well-Known Member

    I did not think these type of endangered items were allowed to be sold on eBay (tortoise and ivory) - did it come with a CITES certificate?
     
  5. shamster

    shamster Well-Known Member

    Not on ebay but Chinese ‘ebay’ which is not actually ebay lol. No, most sellers cannot afford certification service, but you can find a lot of ‘faux’ tortoiseshell antiques on real ebay
     
  6. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Sure, because only the Chinese did or do MOP inlay.:bucktooth::hilarious:
    No shammie, you are absolutely right, it is a very British tea caddy.

    These are also British MOP inlaid tortoiseshell tea caddies:

    Wil IV.jpg
    https://www.bada.org/object/fine-wi...gured-tortoiseshell-and-engraved-mother-pearl

    WMOP.jpg
    https://www.neworleansauction.com/auction-lot/english-mother-of-pearl-inlaid-tea-caddy_FE6451183E
     
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  7. 808 raver

    808 raver Well-Known Member

    Looks like a Scottish person owned this around 1820's, it's not my field so I don't know if these are faked so don't hold me to my assumption.
     
  8. shamster

    shamster Well-Known Member

    So I’m confident that I got a deal this time :smuggrin:
     
  9. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    :woot::woot::happy:
     
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  10. bosko69

    bosko69 Well-Known Member

    Great find Sham,looks like the real deal. I have to admit though-Chinese sale sites scare the hell out of me,way to scammy for my old nervous system ! You're young and brave-right on.
     
  11. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Shammie lives in China, so she has access to sites that are different from the Chinese sites we get here.
     
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  12. Ownedbybear

    Ownedbybear Well-Known Member

    It’s absolutely British, I see these a great deal. Legal to sell here as they’re older than 1947. Lovely thing. I think the velvet is new.
     
  13. bosko69

    bosko69 Well-Known Member

    Makes sense-I'd still avoid so-called Chinese Antiquities,but being a local would obviously make a huge difference.
     
  14. evelyb30

    evelyb30 Well-Known Member

    Shamster gets to see the things we don't - no cheap Temu garbage or drop-shipper mess for her! That couldn't be sold here at all; even antique stores can't sell ivory safely any more and tortoise anything is scary unless "made in (Country name)" is molded into the plastic. Nice score!
     
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  15. bosko69

    bosko69 Well-Known Member

    China would be a wild place to go on a shopping spree-Rhino horn ginseng mocktails !
     
    Marote likes this.
  16. pewter2

    pewter2 Well-Known Member

    As a guide square lock hole usually square on English caddies and usually round on Chinese , Have several and at that price ..cheap.. nice box .......however without a Cites certificate it may have to stay in China,,,even though made prior to 1947 and antique .. regards H.
     
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  17. shamster

    shamster Well-Known Member

    :cat:
    Thank you all :cat: I always wanted a georgian tortoiseshell tea caddy when in uk but it would be risky to carry it home (but I had a few miniature patch boxes with me). Having this one listed in China and with such price is dreamy…
     
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  18. shamster

    shamster Well-Known Member

    6de95479fe57e8dda01a69acf5d85d62.jpeg 7ad53ed3d018b8be61e5adde2ed6cbe9.jpeg 37654e18bf293feccc836fca084b8f3e.jpeg Update: it arrived minutes ago and has joined my collection :cat:
     
  19. pewter2

    pewter2 Well-Known Member

    Just noticed the Scottish thistle fantastic box.....No more tea bags for you now !!!!
     
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  20. shamster

    shamster Well-Known Member

    sadly another flower cannot be identified- if both Scottish it would surely have some Scottish origin and hard to imagine how it travelled to China…
     
    Any Jewelry and pewter2 like this.
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