With a minimum of care, pewterware will keep its original finish. It should be washed in hot, soapy water or in a mild detergent solution and dried with a soft cloth. If, through neglect, pewter takes on a patina, the original finish can be restored by polishing with a non-abrasive metal polish. Dishwashers are not recommended due to the very high temperatures and rather strong detergents used.

The Pewter Society maintains a page devoted to the care of pewter: www.pewtersociety.org

Pewter Marks

Pewter marks or touches can be informative and rewarding or complicated and frustrating! Sometimes there are none at all; sometimes one can tell the maker, the place of manufacture and the year from the touchmarks.

Originally all touchmarks were kept at Pewterers' Hall on large lead touchplates. These melted in the Great Fire and the ones used after 1666 are now kept at Guildhall for safekeeping. The habit of touching died out as the trade diminished from the 18th Century and the power of the Company to control quality also waned. Recently, however, the tradition has been revived and with it the ability to identify modern pewter with some degree of confidence.

The Pewter Society has detailed information on pewterers' marks, verification marks. ownership marks and merchants' marks.

The Pewter Society : www.pewtersociety.org