What is a tea towel? Simply put, a tea towel is a cloth used to dry dishes.
In 18th-century England, a tea towel was a special linen drying cloth used by the mistress of the house to dry her expensive china, which was considered too precious for servants to handle. As collector’s items, tea towels often show such things as maps, recipes, sports insignia, poems, advertisements and famous people.
Generally, collectible tea towels like those bearing the faces of Prince Charles and Lady Diana can fetch up to $200. A recent e-Bay auction for tea towels showed an Aunt Jemima tea towel set of four going for around $40. A tea towel with an illustration of The Beatles sells for about $150.
Writing from Fresh Cup Magazine — December 2007
Photos from Screen Tea, Inc.
Advertisement
August 17, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Thanks for the interesting read and pictures. I guess you mean the $150 Beatles tea towels are vintage from the 60′s?
August 17, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Hi Alison, thank you for your comment. We weren’t really sure if the article meant that the Beatles tea towels are vintage, though it would have made sense if they were. The point of the article was just to show that tea towels can be pricey collectible items.
August 19, 2009 at 7:06 am
Thanks for your reply Screenteablog. Your article certainly has opened up my eyes to the possible prices of vintage tea towels, and I will be having a rummage in my mother’s kitchen and linen drawers!