Ley and trifle pewter did not carry any marks of quality. Plate pewter was marked with a letter'X' (denoting extraordinary ware), sometimes with a crown above it (1),= or was stamped with the words 'hard metal 'or' superfine hard metal' (2) A rose and crown stamp (3) also indicated fine quality pewter. At first this mark was for export ware only, although by the 18th century it had become more generally used. From the late 17th century, the word'London' was added to the rose and crown, but it was often used by provincial pewterers also, and so is no guarantee of provenance. Far right John Barlow of London1699 - ?