Tea / Coffee

English tea drinking traditions are famous worldwide and date back to the 17th century when tea, coffee and chocolate were introduced into this country. The fine array of antique silver pots and associated tea and coffee wares makes a fascinating collecting field, very decorative and enjoyable to use. Browse our collection of antique silver tea, coffee and chocolate related products.
Teapots, Coffee & Chocolate Pots, Tea and Coffee Sets, Kettles & Samovars
Sugar Containers, Tea Caddies, Jugs & Cow Creamers, Tea Accessories

Tea originated in China as a medicinal drink over 2,000 years ago and was introduced into Europe during the 16th century by Portuguese priests and merchants. Drinking tea became fashionable in England during the 17th century and in time led to the English starting large-scale production and commercialization of the plant in India.

Coffee cultivation and trade began on the Arabian Peninsula and by the 15th century coffee was being grown in the Yemeni district of Arabia and by the 16th century it was known in Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey. By the 17th century, coffee had made its way to Europe and was becoming popular across the continent. Coffee houses were quickly becoming centres of social activity and communication in the major European cities and in England “penny universities” sprang up, so called because for the price of a penny one could purchase a cup of coffee and engage in stimulating conversation.

At home, the English drank tea rather than coffee. 19th century inventories show that families owned twice as many teawares as coffee utensils. Women adopted the drink for their social gatherings and served tea after dinner. It was also an occasion to demonstrate wealth and good taste, and teawares were as responsive to changing fashion as dress and interior decoration.

Tea / Coffee

1686

9283 Antique James II Silver Sugar Caster
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A late 17th century antique sterling silver muffineer in the traditional lighthouse design with a bayonet fitting, so typical of these very early casters. This lovely castor is of heavy quality and feels good in the hand. The base is plain styled with pierced motifs, the top is simply pierced, the holes are quite large as crushed loaf sugar was still in use at this early date. Engraved to the front is a large armorial, the top has the matching crest. Weight 243 grams, 7.8 troy ounces. Height 17 cms. Diameter of base 8.2 cms. London 1686. Makers mark “FA”* – see Jacksons page 133.
1689

10125 William & Mary Antique Silver Cup
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A rare antique silver cup of tapering form on a small applied foot; the curved flutes on the lower body were a popular decoration from the reign of William & Mary through to Queen Anne. This cup never had a handle and was probably intended for drinking tea or coffee. There are faint traces of the original gilding. Contains 150 ml. Weight 108 grams, 2.1 troy ounces. Height 6.5cm. Diameter of top 7.5cm. London 1689. Maker “OG” – see Jacksons page 129.
1690
Thomas Brydon
8362 William & Mary Antique Silver Sugar Caster
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A late 17th century antique sterling silver muffineer in the traditional lighthouse design with a bayonet fitting, so typical of these very early casters. This lovely castor is of heavy quality and feels good in the hand. The base is plain styled with fluted borders, the top is simply pierced, the holes are quite large as crushed loaf sugar was still in use at this early date. Uninscribed. Weight 310 grams, 9.9 troy ounces. Height 20 cm. Diameter of base 8.5 cm. London 1690. Makers mark for Thomas Brydon (overstruck) – see Jacksons page 148, bottom mark.
Circa 1695

8202 Antique William III Miniature Silver Coffee Pot
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A charming little antique silver toy coffee pot. This beautiful little side handle pot has a cylindrical tapering body, a conical lid surmounted by a ball finial, and a low spout akin to those more usually found on a chocolate pot. Engraved to the upper handle are the owner’s initials “C.P”. The pot looks like an exact copy of a full size original and the great attention to detail and slightly larger size than normal toys of this period indicate that it may well have been a traveller’s sample. Contains 20 ml. Weight 60 grams, 1.9 troy ounces. Height 8 cms. Spread 5 cms. Diameter of base 3.5 cms. Marked on the body with makers mark only “WP”* – noted for making toy cups and porringers (see Jacksons Welsh and Unascribed English Provincial section, page 521). Circa 1695.
1696
St John Hoyte
9964 William III Antique Silver Caster
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A late 17th century antique sterling silver muffineer in the traditional lighthouse design with a bayonet fitting, so typical of these very early casters. Excellent size and heavy quality, it feels good in the hand. Lovely patina. The base is plain styled with a gadrooned base, the top is simply pierced, the holes are quite large as crushed loaf sugar was still in use at this early date. Uninscribed.Weight 304 grams, 9.7 troy ounces. Height 19.5cm. Diameter of base 6.3cm. London 1686. Makers mark for St John Hoyte. Sterling silver
1697

9990 William III Antique Silver Cup
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A very unusual antique silver chocolate cup of tapering form on a small applied foot; the simple “S” scroll handle having a beaded rat-tail decoration. The body has four panels of hand applied matting work. This rare little cup was made for drinking hot chocolate, the newly discovered drinking beverage popular c.1680-1720 – see the coloured illustration. Contains 155ml. Weight 108 grams, 3.4 troy ounces. Height 7.7cm. Diameter of top 7.2cm. Spread across the handle 9cm. London 1697. Maker unknown.
1701
William Gamble
8549 William III Silver Chocolate Pot
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A rare early English antique silver chocolate pot with straight tapering sides and domed lid typical of the period. This can also be used for coffee. Britannia standard silver*. Side handle. Large size and good weight. To the front there is a large hand engraved armorial and crest. A nice feature is the little hinged flap on the end of the spout. Weight 777 grams, 24.9 troy ounces. Height 26 cms. Diameter of top 7 cms, of the base 11.5 cms. Contains 1100 ml. London 1701. Maker William Gamble.
1701

8924 William III Silver Sugar Caster
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An early English antique sterling silver muffineer in the traditional lighthouse design with a bayonet fitting, so typical of these very early casters. Unusual small size. This lovely castor is of heavy quality and feels good in the hand. The base is plain styled with fluted borders, the top has excellent quality piercing with hand engraved detail. There is a crest and initial to the front. Weight 208 grams, 6.6 troy ounces. Height 16 cms. Diameter of base 7 cms. London 1701. Maker unidentified.
1702
Simon Pantin
3557 Queen Anne Silver Tea Caddies
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A rare pair of antique Britannia standard* silver tea containers of heavy rectangular design and having engraved armorials and lift off lids. Weight 21 troy ounces. Height 12 cms. Width 8.5 cms. Depth 5 cms. London 1702. By Simon Pantin.
1702
William Fawdery
3862 Queen Anne Antique Silver Castor
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An antique Britannia standard silver muffineer in the traditional lighthouse design and having a bayonet fitting. This lovely piece is of heavy quality and feels good in the hand. The base is simply styled with gadroon borders, the top is beautifully pierced and engraved and there is the original coat of arms engraved to the front. Weight 10.5 troy ounces. Height 21 cms. London 1702. Maker William Fawdery.
1703

8737 Queen Anne Silver Chocolate Pot
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A rare early English antique silver chocolate pot with straight tapering sides and domed lid typical of the period. It can also be used for coffee. Britannia standard silver*. Side handle. Large size and good weight. With a plain body the pot has contemporary strapwork mounts and a fluted lid. Particularly nice is the decorative silver mount to the wooden handle and the little hinged flap on the end of the spout. The top has a hinged finial so that the chocolate can be stirred by inserting a swizel stick and the lid is attached to the body with a pin and chain. Contains 900 ml. Weight 735 grams, 23.6 troy ounces. Height 24.5 cms. Base diameter of top 11.1 cms. London 1703. Maker William Lukin.
1704
Andrew Raven
8743 Queen Anne Silver Sugar Caster
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Very rare double walled design. An antique silver muffineer in the traditional lighthouse design so typical of these very early casters. Britannia standard silver*. The cover extends right down to the girdle above the armorial, covering the main body. This lovely castor is of heavy quality and feels good in the hand. To the front there is a hand engraved armorial within a large decorative cartouche. The base is plain styled with fluted borders, the top is simply pierced, the holes are quite large as crushed loaf sugar was still in use at this early date. Unengraved. Weight 391 grams, 12.5 troy ounces. Height 19 cms. Diameter of base 8.5 cms. London 1704. Makers mark for Andrew Raven.
1704
John Gibbons
6796 Queen Anne Silver Chocolate Pot
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A rare early English antique silver chocolate pot with straight tapering sides and domed lid typical of the period. Britannia standard silver*. Side handle. Large size and good weight. The lid is detachable and is held in place by a pin and chain. The top finial is removable so that the chocolate can be stirred. A nice feature is the little hinged flap on the end of the spout. Weight 612 grams, 19.6 troy ounces. Height 25 cms. Diameter of base 11 cms. Contains 900 ml. London 1704. Maker probably John Gibbons.
1704
Richard Syng
7785 Antique Queen Anne Covered Silver Milk Jug
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An extremely rare little antique silver milk jug with a hinged lid. Britannia standard silver*. This is one of the earliest forms of milk jug and the style is very much like a contemporary coffee pot. Simple plain design and very pretty wooden handle. Hand engraved to the front side within a decorative cartouche there is a contemporary armorial with three castles. Contains 300 ml. Weight 249 grams, 8 troy ounces. Height 15 cms. Spread 11.5 cms. Diameter of base 5.5 cms. London 1704. Maker Richard Syng.
1704
Thomas Parr
10352 Queen Anne Antique Silver Tea Caddy
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An extremely rare collector’s item dating to the early 1700’s. This unique little silver tea box of cube form has a hinged lid with octagonal finial. The hand applied matted work is very specific to the 1680-90 period. The small size is due to the rarity of tea at this early date. Weight 203g, 6.5 troy oz. Height 9cm (finial), 7cm. Top measures 6.3cm square. London 1704. Maker Thomas Parr I. Britannia standard silver.
1705
William Lukin
7891 Queen Anne Silver Coffee Pot on Stand
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A rare early English antique silver coffee pot with straight tapering sides, side handle and domed lid typical of the period. Britannia standard silver*. Large size and good weight. A nice feature is the little hinged flap on the end of the spout. The matching stand has a turned wooden handle and a fixed integral burner with a detachable wick holder. Weight of coffee pot 769 grams, 24.7 troy ounces, stand 325 grams, 10.4 troy ounces. Height of pot 24 cms, total height 33 cms. Contains 1000 ml. Pot – London 1705. Stand – 1707. Both by maker William Lukin.
1707
Charles Adam
8574 Antique Queen Anne Silver Caster
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An early English antique silver muffineer from the early 1700 period. Britannia standard silver*. Large size. Baluster shape. Excellent plain style. The top has a bayonet fitting and has two panels of pretty piercing with hand engraving. The base is plain with just a hand engraved lion crest to the front. Weight 265 grams, 8.5 troy ounces. Height 20.5 cms. London 1707. Makers mark for Charles Adams.
Circa 1710
John Chartier
9020 Queen Anne Antique Silver Lemon Strainer
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A rare early English antique silver strainer of circular form with a turned over rim. *Britannia standard silver. The bowl has drilled pierced holes with a five-pointed star to the centre. The acanthus shaped handles have hand decoration. Weight 68 grams, 2.1 troy oz. Spread 18.5 cm, 7.5 inches. Marked to the reverse of handles with the Britannia standard mark for John Chartier and second makers mark, F R or IB in a shaped cartouche with two pellets above. London circa 1710-15.
1711
David Willaume
8936 Queen Anne Silver Shaving Jug
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An extremely rare early English silver jug of plain oval flattened design. Britannia standard silver*. To the front is a hand engraved armorial within a decorative cartouche. This form of jug was introduced in the late 17th century and would have been used together with a shaving basin. Contains 500 ml. Weight 702 grams, 22.5 troy ounces. Height 19.8 cms (to top of thumbpiece). Spread 14.5 cms. London 1711. Maker David Willaume.
1711
Anthony Nelme
7433 Queen Anne Silver Chocolate Pot
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A rare early antique silver chocolate pot with straight tapering sides and domed lid typical of the period. Britannia standard silver. Side handle. Large size and good weight. The top has a removable central cover so that the chocolate can be stirred. Weight 902 grams, 29 troy ounces. Height 27 cms. Diameter of base 11 cms. London 1711. Maker Anthony Nelme.
Circa 1711
John Farnell
7574 Queen Anne Silver Tea Caddy
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A good early English silver caddy of plain rectangular design with canted corners. With sliding base and lift off cap which doubles as a tea measure. Britannia standard silver. Excellent patina and clear marks. Weight 195 grams, 6.2 troy ounces. Height 13.5 cms. Base 7 x 4 cms. London 1711. Maker John Farnell.
1711
George Manjoy
9761 Queen Anne Miniature Silver Teapot
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A delightful little collector’s piece. A rare antique silver teapot miniature with a simple scroll handle and pull off cover. Britannia standard silver*. Original lightly hammered finish. Weight 17 grams, 0.54 troy ounces. Height 4.9 cm. Spread 5.9 cm. London 1711. Maker George Manjoy, a specialist toy maker (see Jackson’s Silver & Gold Marks of England, Scotland & Ireland p.141).
1711
Anthony Nelme
9981 Queen Anne Antique Silver Coffee Pot
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A rare early English antique silver coffee pot of straight tapering form with a domed lid typical of the period. Britannia standard silver*. Side handle. Large size and good weight. Nice plain style with contemporary strapwork mounts and ornate thumb piece. Particularly attractive is the decorative silver mount to the wooden handle and the little hinged flap on the end of the spout. Contains 850 ml. Weight 753 grams, 24.2 troy ounces. Height 25cm. Diameter 6.5cm (top), 10.3cm (base). London 1711. Maker Anthony Nelme.
1712
Jonathan Newton
8572 Pair of Antique Queen Anne Silver Casters
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A matching pair of early English antique silver muffineers from the early 1700 Queen Anne period. Britannia standard silver*. With baluster shape and the desirable octagonal panelled design. These lovely castors are of heavy quality and feel good in the hand. The pull off tops are prettily pierced and engraved. Each is hand engraved to the front with a nautical crest of a sea horse and anchor. Total weight 537 grams, 17.2 troy ounces. Height 17 cms. London 1712. Makers mark for Jonathan Newton.
1712
Charles Adam
8682 Antique Queen Anne Silver Caster
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An early English antique silver muffineer from the early 1700 period. Britannia standard silver*. Large size. Baluster shape. Excellent plain style. The top has a bayonet fitting and has two panels of pretty piercing with hand engraving. The castor base is plain with just a hand engraved lion crest to the front. Weight 308 grams, 9.9 troy ounces. Height 20 cms. London 1712. Makers mark for Charles Adams.
1713
Anthony Nelme
9747 Queen Anne Silver Hot Milk Jug
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An extremely rare little antique silver milk jug of octagonal baluster form with a hinged lid and serpentine curved lip. Britannia standard silver. Very heavy gauge silver. Excellent patina. Hand engraved to the front is a lion rampant crest within a contemporary decorative cartouche. This is one of the earliest forms of milk jug and the style is very much like a contemporary coffee pot. Weight 386 grams, 12.4 troy ounces. Scratch weight ‘12.2.0’. Height 15.5cm. Spread 12.5cm. Diameter of base 5.8cm. London 1713. Maker Anthony Nelme.
1714
Charles Adam
8374 Antique Queen Anne Silver Caster
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An antique silver muffineer from the early 1700 Queen Anne period. Britannia standard silver*. With baluster shape and octagonal panelled design. This lovely castor is of heavy quality and feels good in the hand. The pull off top is simply pierced, the base is hand engraved. Weight 155 grams, 4.9 troy ounces. Height 14 cms. Diameter of base 5 cms. London 1714. Makers mark for Charles Adam.
1714
Jonathan Newton
9234 Antique Queen Anne Octagonal Silver Sugar Bowl
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A rare early English silver bowl of octagonal form. Lovely plain style and heavy gauge silver. Excellent sharp lines and good size. Hand engraved to the front is an armorial within a decorative cartouche. Weight 209 grams, 4.2 troy ounces. Height 6.1 cms. Diameter 11.4 cms. London 1714. Maker Jonathan Newton.
1714
John Farnell
6402 George I Silver Tea Caddy
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A good early English silver caddy of plain rectangular design with canted corners. With sliding base and lift off cap which doubles as a tea measure. Britannia standard silver*. Excellent patina and clear marks. Weight 192 grams, 6.1 troy ounces. Height 13 cms. Base 8 x 5 cms. London 1714. Maker John Farnell.
1714
John Farnell
6795 George I Silver Tea Caddy
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A good early English silver caddy of plain rectangular design with canted corners. With sliding top and lift off cap which doubles as a tea measure. Britannia standard silver*. Excellent patina and clear marks. Weight 179 grams, 5.7 troy ounces. Height 11.5 cms. Base 8 x 5.75 cms. London 1714. Maker John Furnell.
1715
Francis Plymley
9201 Antique George I Silver Octagonal Coffee Pot
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A rare early antique silver coffee pot (or chocolate pot) with domed lid and wooden side handle. Dates from the first year of George I’s reign. Britannia standard* silver. Lovely plain style with simple reed borders and the straight lined octagonal shape is a very desirable feature. To the front is a hand engraved cartouche containing an armorial. Weight 529 grams, 17 troy ounces. Height 25 cm. Spread 16 cm. London 1715. Maker Francis Plymley.
1715

9751 Antique George I Silver Coffee Pot
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An early antique silver coffee pot (or chocolate pot) with domed lid and wooden side handle. Dates from the first year of George I’s reign. Britannia standard* silver. Elegant plain style with simple reed borders and the straight lined octagonal shape is a very rare and desirable feature. The decorative strapwork handle supports are also functional as Britannia standard silver is purer and therefore a softer silver. To the front is a stylised monogram in old fashioned script (later engraved). Weight 669 grams, 21.5 troy ounces. Height 24.5 cm. Diameter of base 10.6cm. London 1715. Maker indistinct.