I've heard of differentiating wine based on region, but were there individual and labeled bottles for individual vintners?
Were there different brands of garum that were packaged in such a way that the consumer could tell them apart?
Would individual shopkeepers in Rome have some way of marking/packaging their wares so that others could see that you bought that candle from so-and-so?
Large packages of goods (boxes, bundles of leather, parchment or cloth, caskets of wine, large jars etc) were sealed with lead, clay or wax seals of trade. Such seals not only ensured that the goods were not tampered with (boxes opened etc) but were usually adorned with a trademark sigil or sometimes abreviated name of the merchant. Sometimes, smaller seals were also pinned to the corner of a sheet of cloth, especially if the maker/merchant was famous for quality. Lead seals were usually of two different kinds. One was made of two thin disks of lead, that were pressed together over a cord that the goods were wrapped with. The other was an almond or diamond shaped lump of lead with a hole to put the cord in. The act of pressing the lead seal not only prevented the cord from being untied (so the package could not be opened without damaging the cord or the seal) but also impressed the sigil in the seal. Clay seals of trademark were made in a similar way, but were usually cruder, bigger, and used to seal large containers of cheaper goods. Wax seals were rarer (though often used to seal and stamp vases of wine or olive oil).
Lead seal with a hole to pull cord through
Roman amphora found in Spain. the neck is sealed with a marked seal
Bricks, and pottery of good quality were often stamped with a trademark sigil. Potter's marks appear on pottery shards and relics or Greek and Roman origin and were used to identify the maker (potter) of a particular vessel.
More:
https://www.lib.utexas.edu/engin/trademark/timeline/pre/rome.html
Examples of pottery stamps:
https://www.lib.utexas.edu/engin/trademark/timeline/pre/oldpots/stamp3.gif
Trademarks and abreviated names of the maker appeared also on weponry, especially swords, as well as other goods made of metal, including tools, knives, writing styli (styluses) and armour.
SOURCES:
Lynn E. Roller - Nonverbal Graffiti, Dipinti, and Stamps,
THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF TRADEMARK LAW
G. Richardson, Brand Names Before the Industrial Revolution
