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Maker: Reed and Barton: About Reed and Barton A Taunton Mass. company which began in 1824 by the partnership between Babbit
and Crossman. The company began making brittania ware which was like pewter. In1848 they produced silver plated flatware followed
by sterling in 1889. The early Reed & Barton early identification hallmark is the letter "R"
followed by and eagle then lion on the right. Reed and Barton has produced over 100 patterns from 1889 into the 1990
with the pattern"Ashmont Gold" and continue to be in the upper league of populatiry due the the huge success
of their most popular pattern "Francis 1st" which was introduced in 1907 and ranks as one of the most popular even
today. Very collectable pattern in both flatware and holloware. Some of the early pieces are very hard to find. The RS (http://RareSterling.com/id152.html) holloware line which was a special order catalog from Reed & Barton are some of the most desirable
pieces produced. In early 1900
after Gorham had introduced Gorham Martele (http://RareSterling.com/id139.html) in the late 1800's, Reed and Barton made an attempt to create its own form of Martele holloware (http://RareSterling.com/id185.html) to compete with a trend in popular for hand crafted items that were very successful at the Paris and Chicago Expo
(http://www.paris-in-photos.com/paris-world-fair-1900.htm). While you will find quite a few Gorham Martele holloware pieces in the industry today,
you will only see a piece of Reed & Barton Martele about once every 5 years. Some of the Reed & Barton
Martele pieces are not even marked 950/1000 fine (http://RareSterling.com/id182.html) but have been tested with the current technology to be 958/1000 Fine or better and carry the same characteristics
of the pieces marked 950/1000 Fine just as Gorham Martele. RareSterling.com owns all of the current Reed & Barton
Martele available for sale in the retail marketplace and continue to agressively seek out collections. RareSterling.com has
done extensive research on Reed & Barton to determine just how many were produced. They began the numbering system scattered
in the 100-400 A-B-C pattern marking system used from about 1900-1915 and was discontinued as Gorham itself struggled
t move the martele pieces. Their are many different degrees of quality for these very special and very rare pieces which detail
mostly gets mistaken for the close resemblance the
popular paterns from that time period. Patterns: 1900 "Les Cinq Fleurs" 1901 "Les Six Fleurs" With
less than 15 pieces that have surfaced over the last 25 years, most people will never see one of these complete
works of art or feel the amazing artisianship of these items. each piece is one of a kind, no 2 are alike with different themes
used. Most of the pieces which were scattered within the 100-400 numbering system were probably destroyed in the 1930's
for melt down which just happens to be the current trend for common flatware today. Lets just hope that our grandchildrens
children don't look back at todays actions and say "WHY!" for some reason or another. Before you decide to melt
down history, please call us at RareSterling.com Popular Patterns by: Reed & Barton The Story Behind The
Patterns "Francis 1st" introduced in 1907 is the most exquisite pattern ever offered by Reed and Barton. The pattern is made up of 15 different patterns into one. The fruit design on
the handles vary in 15 different was depending on the piece made. The Francis book below shows the different fruit design
of each piece. Francis I is the top selling pattern today in both flatware and holloware. There are many
different variations in marks, pattern detail and designs depending on the time in which the pieces were produced. For example:
The eary struck pieces were crisp in detail with the Reed and barton Hallmark and "Pat Appld or Pat Date 1907" on
the back of the handle. There were a few pieces that were only made in the early part of the pattern existance which were
not carried forward. Examples of these pieces are the rare hollow handle butter spreaders with solid sterling blades much
like the Towle King Richard sterling paddle butter spreaders. Pierced salad forks which seem
to have extra piercings were also produced and rare. The later run of this pattern will have the Reed and Barton spelled out in script on the back of the handle. We do have additional
information on this pattern. "Burgundy" introduced in 1949 was an exact match to Francis I without the fruit design, showing strong demand for over 50 years with francis
I. Reed & Barton created this popular pattern with few changes. People who purchase
"Burgundy" choose to have a tone down version of Francis I . This pattern
also leaves a cartoush on the top side of the handle for personalized monograms where as Francis I handle detail
only allows an underside monogram. Just a matter of choice offered from Reed and Barton "Love Disarmed" introduced in 1899 is the most rarest
and mort desirable pattern in the industry today from Reed & Barton when it comes to sterling silver flatware. The story
behind the design of this pattern is one that anyone would find interesting. You will have to read the story at RareSterling.com
"Love Disarmed for yourself to make that call. This pattern is one of the hardest sets in the
industry to find in either the old or new style which was reintroduced in the 1970's. Many people ask us what is the difference?
After looking at hundreds of both new and old pieces through a glass, the differences are: Detail, Marks, Crispness to the
pattern, and overall feel to the pattern on a few key elements. The detail of cupid and his bow is the 1st thing that you
will want to check. Rub your finger across the top portion of a piece, if the piece feels sharp then you look on the back
for a "pat. pending date". If the "pat pending date" Or "pat. appld for" is shown then
it probable is old. The next step is to look at the knife blades, if the knife blades are flawless then the possibility that
for over 100 years passed but the knife is perfect! probably not. If the pat date it not there and the marks look not
quite as crisp, that along with a smoother texture to the top portion of the piece would conclude that it is probably
the reintroduction post 1970's. If you still question the age as possible being old at that point and that no buffing was
done to smooth the detail out, check the dress waves to see if they appear clear, deep, sharp and rich. Look at the hallmarks
and make sure they read very clear and make the determination if the piece was either over buffed removing the detail or it
does in fact meet all the requirements to be old. The next question that I get is, "which is better". I always tell
collectors to collect in what ever makes you happy. Some people like the old pieces for its collectable value and some want
to be able to use newer pieces. When all is said and done, they both have become RareSterling and highly collectable. Pattern Name / Date Introduced
. The Company History . Company History: Family owned, Reed & Barton
Corporation is one of the oldest silversmiths in the United States, its roots dating back to 1824. Over the years, Reed &
Barton has evolved into a diversified tabletop company composed of several divisions. The Reed & Barton Silversmiths division
continues to produce a wide range of fine sterling silver, silverplated, and stainless steel tableware and gifts, including
flatware, serveware, and holloware, as well as picture frames, Christmas ornaments, baby gifts, and musicals. The Reed &
Barton Handcrafted Chests division is the world's largest maker of wooden jewelry boxes and flatware chests. In addition,
it offers protective rolls and storage bags for flatware and holloware, cigar humidors, and pen chests. The result of a 1990s
acquisition, Miller Rogaska Crystal by Reed & Barton produces handcrafted crystal, including stemware, barware, and giftware.
Another acquisition, the Sheffield Silver Company, forms the basis of Reed & Barton: The Sheffield Collection. This division
concentrates on holloware and silverplated tableware, offering products such as serving trays, wine coolers, candleware, and
napkin rings. The R&B EveryDay division produces high-quality stainless steel flatware intended for everyday use. Reed
& Barton also acts as the exclusive U.S. distributor for Belleek Fine Parian China, Ireland's oldest pottery, and Aynsley
Fine English Bone China, a renowned, 200-year-old company that has supplied tableware to England's royalty. Reed & Barton
maintains its headquarters in Taunton, Massachusetts, once known as "Silver City" because of the number of silver
companies operating there. Reed & Barton products are sold in department stores and specialty shops, and the company also
operates several retail stores. Founding the Company in the Early 1800s ' The man responsible for the founding of Reed & Barton, Isaac Babbitt, never worked with silver.
He first employed pewter--an alloy composed of lead and tin and used to make everyday items such as tankards and dishes. Babbitt,
who ran a pewter shop in Taunton, Massachusetts, then found a way to emulate a white metal alloy made from tin, antimony,
and copper called Britannia metal, used by the British in the making of flatware and holloware sold in the United States.
In 1824 he joined forces with Taunton jeweler William Crossman, forming a company named Babbitt & Crossman to produce
their own Britannia tableware. Over the next two decades the company added associates and periodically amended its name, becoming
Babbitt, Crossman & Company in 1827, Crossman West & Leonard two years later, and the Taunton Britannia Manufacturing
company in 1830. Along the way, Henry G. Reed and Charles E. Barton, friends and fellow craftsmen, came to work at the firm.
When the business failed in 1834, following years of steady growth, Reed and Barton, just in their 20s, stepped in to buy
it. In 1837 the company was renamed Leonard, Reed & Barton, then in 1840 it assumed its modern name, Reed & Barton.
The two men would run the business together for three decades. After Barton died of a heart attack in 1867, Reed carried on,
but as a tribute to his longtime friend he decided to retain Barton in the company's name. Ownership of the firm would be
passed down through the Reed family. By the mid-1800s Britannia fell out of favor as a tableware material, supplanted by a
new substitute for the prohibitively expensive silver. Sheffield Plate, developed in the 1740s, fused sterling silver to a
plate of copper, but in 1840 this technology was superseded by electroplating, which deposited a thin layer of silver on a
base metal, copper and later nickel, to produce items with a pure silver appearance. Electroplated silver gave consumers the
look they wanted at a reasonable price, and as a result, by the early 1850s the new metal replaced both Sheffield Plate and
Britannia metal as the flatware material of choice. Reed & Barton followed the market, and thus became involved in silver
for the first time and a pioneer in the practice of silverplating. But silverplate would soon find competition from an unsuspected
corner: sterling silver itself. In 1859 the legendary Comstock Lode of silver was discovered and once mining operations in
the area were up to speed, silver flooded the market, bringing down prices to the point at which there was little difference
between the price of items made from silverplate and actual sterling, which now became the material preferred in wedding gifts.
Reed & Barton turned to sterling manufacturing in 1889 and by the end of the century committed an entire factory building
to its production. Product Diversification Along with Commitment to Tradition in the 1990s and Beyond
' Under Krebel, Reed & Barton continued its
efforts at diversification in the 1990s. Early in the decade, the company entered into a new product development joint venture
with Swid Powell, a tabletop specialist. As a result of the collaboration, Reed & Barton began manufacturing and distributing
architecturally designed serveware products. Next, Reed & Barton came to an agreement with the Ralph Lauren Home Collections
to act as a licensee to produce sterling silver, silverplate, and stainless steel flatware, which would be sold in the same
retail outlets as Ralph Lauren's china and crystal tabletop products. In the 1990s other licensing deals would follow, including
agreements with Waterford and Royal Doulton. The company also became involved in crystal. In 1993 it became the exclusive
distributor of Val Saint Lambert Crystal's high-end tabletop lines in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Reed & Barton
also added the North American distribution rights for Aynsley china, Belleek china, and Galway crystal. Moreover, the company
became involved in crystal manufacturing with the 1996 purchase of Miller Rogaska Crystal Co., maker of mid-range to upper-priced
crystal stemware, barware, and giftware. Reed & Barton reached a watershed moment in 1996 when sales of its stainless
steel flatware outpaced sterling silver flatware for the first time. Nevertheless, the company continued to offer its time-tested
sterling silver designs and continued to maintain a reputation for contemporary craftsmanship. Reed & Barton was selected
by The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games to manufacture the gold, silver, and bronze medals for the 1996 Olympic Games.
This contract was prestigious and highly coveted, and was the culmination of an established relationship between Reed &
Barton and the committee. Already the company had been named a licensee of Olympic Games merchandise, granted the exclusive
rights to market sterling silver, silverplate, goldplate, and wood giftware. In addition to producing 2,600 competition medals,
Reed & Barton would make the wooden cases for them and also produce 30,000 commemorative medals to be given to dignitaries
and others associated with the games. Reed & Barton's reputation also would be recognized, and enhanced, in 1998 when
the company was chosen to redesign the Davis Cup, awarded annually in an international team tennis tournament. Reed &
Barton marked its 175th anniversary in 1999 by launching its first web site, but the company entered the new century committed
to maintaining its tradition and the value of its brand by not venturing too far afield from the position in the high end
of the market it had carved out over the years. RareSterling.com: Silver Care How to care for your sterling silver 
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