Easy to store, affordable to buy, and interesting enough to keep - that’s our kind of collectible. What’s for sale today? A set of five vintage and antique salt cellars, all made in Japan in the 1930s and earlier. These pieces aren’t just great conversation starters - they’re also functional, perfect for serving salt at your dinner table.
What makes this instant collection special? Each piece is unique in shape and color, and they come from different historical periods.
Did we mention they're small? These salt cellars range from about 1.5 to 3 inches wide, with the tallest measuring around 1.5 inches. They're in great condition, especially considering that some are nearly 100 years old, while the ones marked Nippon are over a century old. Please see photographs to further evaluate their condition.
Here's an interesting fact: Japan was historically referred to as Nippon or Nihon in Japanese. The name "Nippon" was commonly used on exported goods due to the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890, which required products to be marked with their country of origin.
From 1891 to 1921, Japanese porcelain and ceramics intended for export were marked "Nippon" to comply with this rule. After 1921, the United States required "Japan" to be used instead.
So, while Japan has always been called Nippon in its own language, the shift from "Nippon" to "Japan" on ceramics was mainly due to export regulations.
The Benefits of Instant Collections
A matching pair of antiques - like lamps (https://worldclassantiques.com/Marketplace/Browse?FullTextQuery=lamps), bookends (https://worldclassantiques.com/Marketplace/Browse?FullTextQuery=bookends), or candle holders (https://worldclassantiques.com/Marketplace/Browse?FullTextQuery=candle holder) - always commands a premium. The same applies to collections. Instead of spending years searching for individual pieces, you get a carefully curated set of vintage salt cellars, all at once. The value isn’t just in the items themselves but in the time saved and the rarity of finding them together.
There are other instant collections (https://worldclassantiques.com/Marketplace/Browse?FullTextQuery=instant collections) available in our marketplace - perfect for those who want to skip the effort it takes to start from scratch.
Notes
• If you are interested in selling something similar please contact us (https://worldclassantiques.com/contact.aspx) - we buy entire collections.