This Mail-Order Spice Jar Set From The '90s Is Now The Cutest Find Collectors Want For Their Counters

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Back in the 1990s, this diminutive spice jar collection could be yours through mail order. According to the order form (via penknife), the collection of 24 jars was described as "Carousel Art. The Spice of Life." We're talking about the Lenox Spice Carousel, one of the most coveted spice jar sets collectors are searching for today. If you're enamored with all things Victorian style, you'll also want to take a look at this delicately colored porcelain Lenox collection featuring carousel animals and gold trim.

For those unfamiliar with Lenox, the American brand is well-known for its ceramics, specifically its porcelain and bone china designs. It began in 1889 as the Ceramic Art Company, and it became Lenox in 1906. Four years later in 1910, it produced its first dinnerware set. Today, in addition to dinnerware, it's also known for its serveware, kitchen items, and giftware, including home décor and holiday ornaments. Its spice jar collections, meanwhile, date back to 1989 (a century after its founding) with the Lenox Spice Village.

The Lenox Spice Carousel jars arrived about four or five years after. Each spice jar features a cute carousel animal, from horses of different colors to a rabbit, a pig, a camel, and a giraffe. The 24 jars are labeled for each spice or herb, like rosemary, oregano, and thyme, and were meant to fill up an accompanying wooden rack. But with or without the original rack, these collectible, vintage spice jars (which measure about 4 inches tall) would look right at home on a kitchen counter today.

Complete sets comprising all 24 of the Lenox Spice Carousel jars isn't exactly easy to find, but it's not impossible. It will depend on when you search for them. Resellers may price complete sets as high as $500, while nearly complete sets can cost as much as $300 to start. However, even at $500, that only comes to about $21 per jar. When the original Lenox Spice Village first came out, each mail-order jar cost $19.50. According to penknife, the price eventually lowered to $14.50 a jar; in today's dollars, that would equal $40.11.

Note that if you come across a jar in person, the bottom should read "The Spice Carousel," and "FINE PORCELAIN," followed by "LENOX," the copyright, and the year. In addition to thrift shops, also check out yard sales, flea markets, and estate sales. You can recreate the mail-order experience by adding to your collection one spice jar at a time. For individual jars, you'll find that prices vary, but one jar can be anywhere from ~$15 to $30, so buying multiple jars or, as said, a complete set, can actually cost less per jar. For example, you might come across a set of four like above for $55, or $13.75 a jar.

For those of you who agree that the Lenox Spice Carousel collection includes some of the cutest spice jars, know that there were other themes, too. For example, there was the Lenox Spice Garden, which featured botanical illustrations, and in 1995, Lenox released spice jars for Walt Disney fans. Meanwhile, for those who love cats, there was the Lenox Cats of Distinction, a Lenox spice container collection where each jar got an illustration of a different, adorable cat. Finally, to bring this all back to the original, you can get new a second-edition of the 1989 Lenox Spice Village at Lenox for $299.99.