Reed Barton, who were originally known as Babbitt & Crossman in 1824 when they started the production of a kind of Pewter also called brittania which was the base metal used to produce statuettes such as the now famous Oscars. They soon began to produce silver plated items and were well established in this field by 1840 when they changed their name to Reed Barton.
As a highly regarded and well established manufacturer of silverware they sold a large range of their silver plated items to Rogers Bros before the end of the decade in Connecticut, that in turn placed the now famous hallmarks on those items. Over these years they also produced weaponry for the troops and towards the end of that century they were well into producing a variety of silver plated figures of animals including peacocks, rabbits, sheep, dogs, horses and cats amongst others.
It was during the mid 1850's that Reed Barton began manufacturing high-end sterling silver items, recognising the growing demand in silver at the time. Launching their own product line of sterling silver flatware, goblets, bowls and trays by 1889 proved to be another positive move. During the later part of the 19th century though, they struggled with competing producers of silver pieces who had started using more mechanical ways in their production process.
It was at this time that they took on a new approach to their own methods of production. In order to keep up with the times, just as other silversmiths had done before them, they decided to set themselves up for mass producing and moved away from the old handcrafting strategy. Reed Barton soon became a major contender for manufacturers alike after extensively advertising their new products and brand and some time prior to the First World War, began producing trophies for a range of sporting competitions including sailing and yachting amongst others.
Ever since then Reed Barton has maintained a prominent status for producing quality products that remain popular to this day. Confirming this, is the fact that they were offered the prestigious task of manufacturing the 1996 Olympic Games medals of Gold, Silver and Bronze.
They wanted to give their silver items a unique icon just as other manufacturers did, so it was in 1945 that they began creating their own unique symbols for their products. Each piece since then will have its special mark representing the year it was produced thereby allowing collectors or buyers to more easily determine its value.
Reed Barton is still a well respected name known for maintaining an uncompromised standard of excellence along with a passion for creating exquisite sterling silver products. Although the company is renowned for their antique silver and flatware pieces their range of manufacturing also includes cigar humidors, hardwood flatware, handcrafted chests, handmade stemware, which needless to say, are also popular with collectors. Situated in Taunton, Massachusetts which was previously referred to as Silver City, due to the many silver producing companies in the are, you should not miss the opportunity to visit them if you have an interest in silverware.
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