Collecting Vintage Tea Sets

Tea sets aren't just for serving tea anymore. Vintage and antique teapots, cups, cream pitchers and other china pieces are very collectible, and make beautiful, colorful ornaments for decorating your home. Here are some tips for getting started in collecting vintage tea sets.

First you should decide exactly what you want to collect. Do you want to collect full set, or only teapots or tea cups and saucers? Or maybe you only want to collect pieces with flowers on them, or blue and white china pieces? Putting some kind of limit on your collection will help you maintain control, and find a place to display each piece that you bring home.

Now you can start hunting for pieces to start your collection. Most of the fun of collecting is in the hunt, and you should enjoy the process. If you do want to persist, here are some places to look:

1. Second hand stores and charity shops.

These are great places to look for vintage china. You can often find tea sets made of china, glass, silver, copper, and pewter. Prices tend to be fairly low in these kinds of shops too, so you can often buy several items and spend only a little money.

2. Antique shops.

Antique shops are usually a fair bit more expensive than other second hand shops, but if you want to find pieces that are more unusual, older, or more valuable, you definitely don't want to pass up the possibility.

3. Auction Web sites.

Auction Web sites often supply a wealth of options for tea set collecting. You can find a wider variety of pieces available because they can be shipped from all over the country, or even from other countries. Keep in mind, however, that you may pay a good deal for shipping costs, so make sure the item you buy is one that you really want so that it's worth the price.

4. Vintage Web sites.

Many vintage Web sites that specialize in items like clothing and shoes also sell other items like tea pots, cups, and sets. Look out for single pieces like pretty teapots, decorative cups and saucers, or even sugar bowls. Remember, you don't have to pass up single pieces if you want to collect whole sets because you may find additional pieces from the same set from other sources.

When you have brought a few pieces home, clean them carefully before putting them on display. Washing them by hand is probably safest. Put them in a cabinet with glass doors or display them on antique bureaus with lace doilies.