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What if we told you that one of the most iconic American silverware brands originated from a free-love, utopian community founded in upstate New York in the mid-19th century? That’s exactly the beginnings of Oneida Limited, which still produces stainless steel flatware so pretty you almost don’t want to eat with them. While you can buy brand new Oneida flatware online, it’s the antique stuff from the late 1800s and early 1900s, as well as the vintage pieces manufactured over half a century ago, that are really going to hold some value. So, be sure to look for these pieces the next time you’re at the thrift store.
The Oneida Community was founded in 1848 by John Humphrey Noyes, a wealthy Yale graduate who developed his own brand of Protestant Christianity known as “Perfectionism.” The idea was that sin could be eradicated through personal selflessness and behavior modification. The community set up shop in Oneida, New York, in a large mansion that would eventually house 300 people who would share everything…