Undated
REED & BARTON / STERLING
Written company name and STERLING replace the three-device trademark arrangement; the separate number is not part of the name.
stamped · sterling silver · Taunton, Massachusetts, United States
Silver
Reed and Barton marks
Reed and Barton marks include stamped “MFD & PLATED BY / REED & BARTON” on silverplate in Taunton, Massachusetts, United States.
- Active years
- 1824–2015
- Country
- United States
- City / region
- Taunton, Massachusetts
- Products
- silverplated tableware, sterling silver flatware, hollowware, tea and coffee services, trophies, commemorative silver, stainless steel flatware
- Marks
- 5
1824–2015 refers to the historical Taunton manufacturer and its predecessors. Reed & Barton name from 1840; the brand continued under Lenox ownership after the 2015 bankruptcy.
What to look for
- Read the metal designation with the maker’s mark. STERLING identifies the silver standard, while SILVERSOLDERED and MFD & PLATED BY occur on plated wares.
- The pictorial trademark combines an eagle, an R and a lion. Compare the borders around each device as well as their order; the early shielded arrangement differs from the version with open bird and lion figures.
- Reed & Barton used pictorial year symbols on hollowware from 1928 through 1957. Read a year symbol separately from the pattern or article number; an added C surrounding A denotes a copper-alloy plated base from 1945.
Marks & lettering
5 marks
Undated
MFD & PLATED BY / REED & BARTON
MFD & PLATED BY wording and the globe device identify this plated-ware layout.
stamped · silverplate · Taunton, Massachusetts, United States
Undated
R / STERLING
Only the central R is shielded; STERLING sits in its own horizontal rectangular cartouche.
stamped · sterling silver · Taunton, Massachusetts, United States
Undated
REED & BARTON / SILVERSOLDERED
Two-line lettering with SILVERSOLDERED, unlike the full MFD & PLATED BY form.
stamped · silverplate · Taunton, Massachusetts, United States
Undated
R / STERLING
All three devices occupy bordered compartments, unlike the version with an unboxed eagle and lion.
stamped · sterling silver · Taunton, Massachusetts, United States
About Reed & Barton
Reed & Barton developed from the Britannia-metal business that Isaac Babbitt and William Crossman began in Taunton, Massachusetts, in 1824. After several changes of partnership, Henry G. Reed and Charles E. Barton became owners of the concern. Leonard, Reed & Barton was formed in 1837, and the shorter Reed & Barton name followed in 1840. The company began silver electroplating in 1848 and grew into a major maker of table and serving wares.
Sterling silver joined its plated products in the later nineteenth century. The factory made flatware, tea and coffee services, trophies and elaborate commemorative silver. A design department established in 1873 supported an expanding catalogue. The company acquired Dominick & Haff in 1928, adding patterns and manufacturing expertise, and employed both its own designers and outside contributors, including Eliel Saarinen and Gio Ponti.
Wartime work expanded its production of military tableware and encouraged developments in plating and stainless-steel manufacture. Family ownership continued through succeeding generations, but the Taunton business filed for bankruptcy in 2015. Lenox acquired the brand, which continued to sell flatware. The historical factory used written names, pictorial trademarks, metal designations and, on some hollowware, separate year symbols.
Also known as: Reed and Barton
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart
Gorham
Both use heraldic-looking devices. Reed & Barton’s central letter is R between an eagle and lion; Gorham’s familiar sterling sequence includes a lion, anchor and G. Read all the symbols in order.