Celery Vases: Trending antique for 2026 and our latest thrifting treasure

Celery vase: a thrifting trending treasure

 

We’ve long adored vintage table accoutrements—most notably salt cellars and knife rests—so when a recent House Beautiful headline announced that an antique glass vase was making a comeback and turning up in thrift stores, it might as well have read, “Barb Gulley, these are for you!”

No question about it: celery vases are our newest passion. They’re trending for all the reasons BTS loves—renewed interest in classic entertaining, a growing enthusiasm for conversation‑starting antiques, and the irresistible thrill of thrifting.

In a stroke of secondhand serendipity, just last week, while scouring shops on Michigan’s east side with my son Matt and daughter‑in‑law Jenna, I found my very first celery vase at only our second stop. At the unbelievable price of $9.99, I struck thrifting gold with this pressed‑glass beauty. I’m still researching its origins—though it resembles several examples in my newly purchased celery‑vase reference book, the exact details remain a mystery.

Celery Vase reference book  - many photos resemble thrifting treasure.

But what distinguishes a celery vase from a familiar flower vase or goblet? The elegant celery urn is typically a tall (6–9 inches), cut or pressed glass vessel with a pedestal base, fluted rim, and intricate decorative pattern.

Like salt cellars, celery vases were once the showpieces for an everyday item that was anything but everyday. These vessels held celery—a vegetable that now humbly appears on crudité platters but was once scarce, expensive, and a true status symbol.

In the 1800s, celery was difficult and costly to grow. Those with discretionary income not only purchased the prized stalks for dinner parties but also needed a suitably impressive container to display their conspicuous consumption.

Enter the celery vase.

They became so desirable that they were often given as wedding gifts, sometimes engraved with the newlyweds’ names.

However, like salt cellars, celery vases lost their appeal when the product they were designed to hold became less expensive and more accessible. But after decades tucked away in the backs of china cabinets, they’re enjoying a revival. While thrifting has made them accessible at an average of $25–$35, some examples command far higher prices.

Engraved celery vases from the early 19th century have sold for $2,000–$5,000. And a particularly special pair—created for William Henry Harrison’s 1840 presidential campaign and featuring both a log cabin and an American flag—sold for over $10,000 in 2021.

Celery vases - the trending antique for 2026!

My own celery vase is far more modest than those storied pieces, but it’s still a treasure, and wonderfully versatile. House Beautiful suggests using one as a candle votive, flower vase, candy container, or home‑bar accent.

And of course, one can always fill it with celery

That's a wrap! Starting the new year and looking back at the old.

A milestone year for Jane Austen and a busy one for BTS!

Last week, we were back in the studio for our 62nd podcast—and our first of 2026. We welcomed two very special guests, our sons Rob and Matt, and spent the episode sharing tea experiences and testing the young lads on etiquette. (To watch the full episode, visit our YouTube channel: Barb’s Tea Service – YouTube.)

As we look ahead to the new year, we're pausing for a moment to reflect on everything we accomplished in 2025. It was a wonderfully busy year for Barb’s Tea Service, and we’re grateful to have shared it with both old friends and new.

BTS 2025 Year-in-Review

We hit the big 60-plus-one mark in Podcasts (34 for the year)

BTS' first podcast of the year featured special guests, The Gulley Brothers

This year marked our one-year podcast anniversary, our 50th episode, and—just last month—our 60th. We also received the Podcast Spirit Award from ONTV Studios. Many thanks to our special guests: Rob, Matt, Jenna, and Cara. And an extra-special shout-out to fellow podcasters Rik and Carol for surprising us on our 60th episode!

We’ve been told that if we reach 100 episodes, ONTV will commemorate the milestone with a movie-style poster to hang in the studio halls. (That's only 38 more to go!)

13 Tea Events

Barb with BTS team members extraordinaire: Rob and Pam

We were just shy of a record-breaking year, with events taking us from Florida to both the east and west coasts of Michigan. Of our baker’s dozen:

• 6 Downton Abbey

• 2 Gilded Age

• 2 Chocolate-and-tea pairings (double yum!)

• 2 Jane Austen

• 1 Tea Customs Around the World

Our travels took us from Great Lake to Great Lake—Port Huron to St. Joseph—then back to our hometowns of Birmingham and Bloomfield. We also added miles driving to Wyandotte, Ann Arbor, Chesterfield, Commerce, Lyon Township, Sterling Heights, and Addison Township.

Kudos to Rob and Pam, who assisted and brought their A-game to these Tea-events.

14 Substack Articles

Matthew McFadden, Mr. Darcy in P & P movie, 2005: a popular post

 

We joined Substack in 2025 and plan to carve out more time this year for additional posts. We covered many favorite topics—Jane Austen, the Gilded Age—and even ventured into contemporary curiosities, such as wedding nuptials officiated by a mayonnaise mascot. (Our most popular Substack post: a review of the three most popular film adaptations of Price and Prejudice. For that article and more, find us on Substack @barbaragulley Barbara Gulley | Substack)

72 Blog Stories

ABB - always be blogging. Celery vases next riveting blog! 

This total ties our busiest year ever (2023). We hoped to squeeze in one more tea-time tale before the new year, but holidays and birthdays won that battle. So we’re throwing down the gauntlet for 2026: at least 73 stories. With a whiteboard full of upcoming topics—celery vases included—we show no signs of slowing down or filtering for only the “compelling.”

1 TeaTime Feature

Austen article in TeaTime  penned by your humble BTS blogger

We wrapped up the year with the November/December issue of TeaTime, which included our article on the Jane Austen exhibit at Manhattan’s Morgan Library—a fitting finale for Austen’s milestone birthday celebration.

4 Presidential Homes (and a Bonus!)

Presidential homes tour inspired me to throw my hat in the ring.

One of our 2025 resolutions was to visit at least two presidential homes or libraries. The beauty of a modest goal is the opportunity to overachieve. By March, we had doubled our target.

• February: Jimmy Carter’s childhood home (Plains, GA), James K. Polk’s home (Columbia, TN), and Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood site (Knob Creek, KY)

• March: Rutherford B. Hayes home (Fremont, OH)

• October bonus: Teddy Roosevelt Inaugural Site in Buffalo, complete with the newly installed talking Teddy hologram

Inspired by all these POTUS places, I also tossed my hat into the presidential campaign ring. Our slogan: More tea in every pot!

2 Frank Lloyd Wright Homes (in under a month)

Tea ceremony at FLW home in Bloomfield Hills

Setting up wedding reception FLW in WI

Not on our 2025 Bingo card, but a delightful surprise. The highlight was a Frank Lloyd Wright home in Wisconsin, where we celebrated our son and daughter-in-law’s wedding reception. Three weeks later, daughter, Rachel, and I were back home participating in a Japanese tea ceremony at Cranbrook's own FLW abode. Nothing wrong with a lot of Wright (or, dare I say, two Wrights don't make a wrong).

2 Jane Austen Out-of-Town Excursions

Austen exhibit NYC's Morgan Library

Jane Austen festival in Cincinnati

This summer, we attended the first Jane Austen Festival in Sharonville, Ohio (just north of Cincinnati). Picking up where the Louisville JASNA chapter left off, the weekend brought back “Dressing Mr. Darcy” and afternoon tea. A bonus: location is conveniently close to my sister-in-law and fellow Austen enthusiast, making travel and lodging most agreeable.

Two weeks later, we were in New York for the Jane Austen exhibit at the Morgan Library. And yes, I’m going to say it: It is a truth universally acknowledged that, to be of good fortune, a single Austen event must be in want of another.

Celery vases, a peek at the excitement in store for 2026!

Last year brought a treasure trove of memorable activities, events, travels, recordings, and writings. We hope to raise the bar even higher in the new year—so hold on to your celery vases and, as we love to say at Barb’s Tea Service, please stay tuned.