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, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

") is a type of

used as an anti-counterfeiting measure on

paper money Paper money, often referred to as a note or a bill (North American English), is a type of negotiable promissory note that is payable to the bearer on demand, making it a form of currency. The main types of paper money are government notes, which ...

. The cash seal first appeared during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. 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 "note seal".

History

The economy of

during the

outpaced the supply of traditional

coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, 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 to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

age, leading the government to issue

(''

Jiaozi ''Jiaozi'' or Gyoza (; ) are a type of Chinese dumpling. ''Jiaozi'' typically consist of a ground meat or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together. ''Jiaozi'' can be ...

'' (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 government notes 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 Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

, were given to counterfeiters. The Ming and

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

dynasties also stamped notes. 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 notes to represent the parties' trust, credit, or authority. In the era of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, 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 Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, ''ginkō-in'' (Japanese: 銀行印) seals have similar functions. In

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, a seal has been present in all

Singapore dollar The Singapore dollar (currency sign, sign: S$; ISO 4217, code: SGD) is the official currency of the Singapore, Republic of Singapore. It is divided into 100 cent (currency), cents (, , ). It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or ...

banknotes since its first series, bearing the chairman of the

Monetary Authority of Singapore The Monetary Authority of Singapore or (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 ...

(MAS) or the

Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore The Monetary Authority of Singapore or (MAS), is the central bank and Financial regulation, financial regulatory authority of Singapore. It administers the various statutes pertaining to money, banking, insurance, securities and the financial s ...

(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