In ancient times, how did silver tickets prevent counterfeiting?

Jiaozi, invented in Song Dynasty, should be the embryonic form of silver ticket. After the development of the dynasty, the silver ticket was discovered in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, which is actually the evolution of Jiaozi. In fact, paper tickets were born only as a medium. In feudal society, hard currency should still be that kind of gold, silver or copper coins. A silver ticket like this is only used as a voucher for withdrawing money, which is somewhat similar to the current checks and bank deposit certificates. The use method is also complicated and cumbersome. First, you need to get a lot of silver tickets, and then you can use it. Moreover, after complicated anti-counterfeiting procedures, the money deposited can only be taken out if it is confirmed. There are also various ways to extract silver tickets. First of all, in Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, silver tickets could only be used in some banks.

The so-called policy of opening up and quitting the society was not implemented until the late Qing Dynasty. And the amount of the silver ticket is also exquisite. Generally, the maximum amount is about 10000 taels of silver, and the minimum denomination is 50 ~ 100. There is no clear division of details, mainly depending on the amount given by banks. The birth of silver tickets is to prevent merchants from being robbed when they travel long distances and carry a lot of gold and silver. Put the money in the bank and go on your way. When I arrived at my destination, I took out the money deposited in the local bank, saving a lot of trouble. There is no need to drag hundreds of pounds of gold and silver back and forth.

Even if the paper tickets are destroyed and robbed by robbers, their property has not suffered any losses, because these large silver tickets will have roots in the bank. As long as the person arrives, make sure that the money has not been taken away, even if there is no silver ticket, you can get a full refund, which is somewhat similar to the current loss reporting policy. But how to distinguish between true and false is very particular. First of all, each bank has a unique anti-counterfeiting mark, usually a secret code and poems, such as Chuci and Book of Songs, which are printed on two tickets in a disorderly order. This forms a universal and unique anti-counterfeiting logo, which will be replaced every once in a while.

And the material of the silver ticket is also very particular. Everyone thinks that silver tickets are generally paper, but most of the exhibits in museums are cloth, which makes it easier to add anti-counterfeiting marks. There is also a saying that the material for making silver tickets is a special kind of paper, such as mulberry paper and white desk paper. This material is not allowed to circulate in the market, and more importantly, it must be the internal business of the same bank, and outsiders simply don't know it. The secret code keys in each bank have formed a relatively closed way of retention. Therefore, the anti-counterfeiting mark of the money house is very safe, and it is basically impossible to circulate if someone does not steal it from it. By the middle and late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty, the circulation of silver tickets was more and more extensive, which also represented the wider circulation of trade in China. Therefore, in the major banks, there has been a period of vigorous development, and the template of silver tickets has been changed frequently, so the possibility of counterfeiting has become very low, basically putting an end to the phenomenon of fake silver tickets.