William Read & Sons

In 1826 William Read and Edward Lane opened a "Gun Store" in Dock Square, Boston Mass. After the death of Mr. Lane, in 1849, William Read took over the business, and in 1854 the firm name was changed to William Read and Sons. Also known as Wm Read & Sons, the store specialized in military arms and sporting goods. During the Civil War Read's supplied the Union Troops with most of their guns and ammunition.

The Business continued to grow and with the company's expansion Wm Read & Sons, moved from 107 to 364 Washington street. The six floor building was home to the New "Read Sporting Goods Store." To attract customers to the new store, Read's sold reserved seats to all ball games played at Braves Field. In 1921 Wm Read & sons was taken over by the Winchester Company of New Haven Connecticut. J. Bertran Read, president of the firm since 1896, continued with the Winchester management as vice-president.

The short lived line of Wm Read & Sons baseball bats were made from the turn of the 19 century to about 1916. Some of the earlier bats featured a decal. Newspaper advertisements, and catalog write-ups, suggest that the company manufactured their own bats. The Wm Read & sons catalogs read: "In the purchase of material for our bats, cost is not considered. The bats are made of the best second growth white ash and obtainable are the material is air dried under cover, this insuring a perfect condition of timber.

Every bat from the highest to the lowest price is hand finished. This means a perfect finish on all grades, and the Regulation Bats are treated to a thorough soaking in linseed oil, which, when dried, gives a hard finish. Our Bats are not painted or varnished to cover defects, so the purchaser is absolutely certain that he is securing a perfect article."

The center brand features "Wm READ & SONS" at the top and "BOSTON, MASS." at the bottom separated by a circle bullet design with "Trade" - "Mark" on each side respectively, with the model number below. Bat models include their top of the line No. 125BB Premier, No. 125BS Pro, and the No. 125B Imperial. Junior and Youth Bats include, No. 50PB Professional, No. 25B Junior Special, and No. 5B Champion. The 1910 catalog notes that they carry line of Louisville Slugger bats.

Wm Read & Sons Baseball Bat


1906 William Read & Sons Baseball Bat Catalog	1910 Wm Read & Sons Baseball Bat Catalog	1910 William Read & Sons Baseball Bat Catalog

The Winchester Read's Store

KEYMAN COLLECTIBLES RELATED RESOURCES

	KeyMan Collectibles Baseball Memorabilia Facebook Group - Post Questions and comments relating to Baseball Collectibles and Memorabilia. Interact with other collectors or show off your collection.
	KeyMan Collectibles Network54 Forum - A great option for those that "Don't do facebook" Post Questions and comments relating to Baseball Collectibles and Memorabilia