The New England Glass Company was originally founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by Amos Binney, Edmund Munroe, Daniel Hastings, and Deming Jarves on February 16, 1818.

The company produced both blown and pressed glass objects in a variety of colors, which had engraved, cut, etched, and gilded decorations.

The sale was viewed as a negative sign for the industry, as earlier that year the Libbey-Owens-Ford Co. had considered (but ultimately decided against) moving its headquarters to Monroe, Michigan, while Toledo was still struggling to maintain its status as a significant glass exporter.

Libbey would be spun off as an independent company, and would make its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in June 1993.

In April that year, the Toledo Museum of Art featured a variety of glass artwork from its collection, all produced by Libbey over several decades.

[19] In March 2019, Libbey announced that it had hired Mike Bauer, the former president of Master Lock Company, to replace Bill Foley as chief executive officer.

[20][21] In June 2020, Libbey announced plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as the result of negative financial effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

[22][23][24] Prior to the announcement, Libbey had awarded a total of over $3 million in bonuses to its executive staff in an attempt to dissuade them from leaving the company, after having temporarily decreased their pay by 20-25%.