Reed & Barton is a prominent silversmithing company based out of the city of Taunton, Massachusetts. They are internationally-acclaimed for their fine quality silver products, mostly silverware. They have produced many varieties of silver products since 1824 when Henry G. Reed and Charles E. Barton took over the failing pewter works of Isaac Babbitt. During the American Civil War, they produced much of the weapons for Union Army soldiers and officers.
Reed & Barton was exclusively chosen to design and produce the 1996 Summer Olympics medals, of which, there are a few authentic samples on display at the Old Colony Historical Society museum. Their products are considered to be of such high standards that it was and may still be exclusively used at the White House in Washington, D.C.. Today, they operate a factory store at the plant site, an outlet store at the Wrentham Premium Outlets in Wrentham, Massachusetts, and an online store as well.
The company has remained privately owned by the family of Henry Reed.
Besides the flatware it is renowned for, Reed & Barton operates other brands as well:
Reed & Barton Handcrafted Chests, the worlds largest manufacturer of handmade chests, cigar humidors, pen chests, and hardwood flatware.
Miller Rogaska Crystal, handmade stemware
Sheffield Collection, a company started in 1908 and purchased by Reed & Barton in 1973
Everyday, stainless steel flatware designed for durability (and modern conveniences like dishwashers).
It is the exclusive American importer of Belleek Fine Parian China and Aynsley Fine English Bone China Tableware.
Books about Reed & Barton:
The Whitesmiths of Taunton: A History of Reed & Barton 1824-1943, George Sweet Gibb, 1943
Sterling Seasons - The Reed & Barton Story, Renee Garrelick, 1998
