Yuan dynasty banknote with its printing plate 1287

A cash seal (; "''Baochao''" means "valuable money", "''Yin''" means "

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

") is a type of

used as an anti-counterfeiting measure on

paper money A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued ...

banknote A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued ...

s. The cash seal first appeared during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

in China. The short name is ''Chao Yin'' (), and the full name is Seal of Baochao (), or ''Baochao Yinjian'' (). The name can also be simply translated as "money seal" or "banknote seal".

History

The economy of China during the

outpaced the supply of traditional

coin A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

age, leading the government to issue

s (''

Jiaozi ''Jiaozi'' (; ; pinyin: jiǎozi) are Chinese dumplings commonly eaten in China and other parts of East Asia. ''Jiaozi'' are folded to resemble Chinese sycee and have great cultural significance attached to them within China. ''Jiaozi'' are ...

'' (交子)) to increase the money supply. Subsequently, a government department was created to manage cash affairs, with its responsibilities including producing and issuing cash, and combating counterfeiting. The cash seal was developed as an anti-counterfeiting measure; official banknotes received a red, sometimes black or purple, stamp at their centres. This forced counterfeiters to attempt to replicate the seal, presumably leading to distinguishable lower quality stamps. Severe punishments, including the death penalty, were given to counterfeiters. The

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...

and Qing dynasties also stamped banknotes. The Ming government department responsible for cash affairs and the use of the cash seal was the Baochao Bureau ().

Modern time

The use of cash seals is no longer restricted to governments. Seals or private individuals and organizations may be used in the same manner on private banknotes to represent the parties' trust, credit, or authority. In the era of the Republic of China, these seal stamps could also be called ''Yinhang Yin'' (銀行印/银行印; direct translation: the seal stamp of bank, or just "bank seal"). In Japan, ''ginkō-in'' (Japanese: 銀行印) seals have similar functions. In

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

, a seal has been present in all

Singapore dollar The Singapore dollar (sign: S$; code: SGD) is the official currency of the Republic of Singapore. It is divided into 100 cents. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or S$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencie ...

banknotes since its first series, bearing the chairman of the

Monetary Authority of Singapore The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is the central bank and financial regulatory authority of Singapore. It administers the various statutes pertaining to money, banking, insurance, securities and the financial sector in general, as well ...

(MAS) or the Board of Commissioners of Currency Singapore (BCCS).

Typical seals

In late imperial China: * 大明寳鈔之印 / 大明宝钞之印 (traditional/simplified Chinese); ''The Seal of Cash of the Great Ming''. * 大清寳鈔之印 / 大清宝钞之印; ''The Seal of Cash of the Great Qing''.

References

External links

The anti-counterfeiting techniques of Ming Dynasty cash
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banknote Seal (China) Banknotes of China Chinese inventions Economic history of China Seals (insignia)

History

Modern time

Typical seals

See also

References

External links