What is an Antique Treen Searce?

Two to three hundred years ago people didn't have the tools that we have today and yet they still seemed to be able to make items for such a diverse range of uses for example a searce. Searce means to sift and these items were made and used to sift powder, mainly in apothecaries, before making it into a paste for pills.

An antique treen searce consists of a semi circular bowl to the top this should have a metal perforated sheet in its central lower section which will let the sieved powder to pass through to the base. The base is hollow it unscrews and the powder can be retrieved.

These antique treen searces are particularly rare to find. The main image is of and early to mid 1700's lignum vitae searce retaining its wire mesh and measuring approx 6cm h x 10cm w.

The other searce is later dating from the latter part of the 18th century to early 19th century note the nicely shaped edges. These pieces of treen are exceptionally hard to find.