In ancient times, the silver ticket was just a piece of paper, why didn't anyone fake it? Look at the small print above, how to fake?

In ancient times, the silver ticket was just a piece of paper, why didn't anyone fake it? Look at the small print above, how to fake? In ancient society, silver bills, as a new circulating currency, attracted widespread attention. A seemingly simple paper silver ticket is difficult to forge, and it contains profound historical secrets. From the material of the silver ticket to the special imprint, from the production process to the replacement cycle, the imperial court has adopted a series of elaborate designs to make the silver ticket have the uniqueness of anti-counterfeiting. But what was the reason that made this ordinary paper silver ticket an insurmountable mountain at that time? And how did the imperial court skillfully avoid the risk of fraudulent use of silver tickets? Let's explore the reasons for this historical mystery.

The social environment and the reasons for the birth of the silver ticket

The ancients were brilliant and left many valuable legacies in the long history, and the advent of the silver ticket is one of the inventions that will be admired by future generations. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the country's economy gradually prospered, and commodity trade activities became more and more frequent. Gold and silver, as the common currency at that time, although the weight was full, it was always a little inconvenient to carry.

Imagine a wealthy merchant holding a bag of gold and silver to a distant place to trade, and inevitably encounter some malicious bandits along the way, and his life is not guaranteed. Besides, gold and silver are too heavy, and it is really reluctant to walk the rivers and lakes. As a result, people of insight set out to study a new type of currency that could be carried lightly and avoid violent robbery.

It was in this context that paper silver tickets came into being. An ordinary piece of paper, but it embodies people's expectations and becomes a high-profile payment tool after gold and silver. But after all, a paper silver ticket is just a thin piece of paper, and once it is forged, it may cause chaos in the economic order.

Therefore, the court officials at that time attached great importance to the anti-counterfeiting of silver tickets. They realized that while the silver ticket was easy to use, if it lost its trust, its status as a currency would be lost. Therefore, the imperial court began to study the production process of silver tickets, looking for various anti-counterfeiting methods, hoping to eliminate the possibility of counterfeiting silver tickets at the source.

The imperial court attached great importance to and continued reform

As soon as the problem was discovered, the imperial authorities quickly realized that the management of silver tickets needed to be strictly controlled. At that time, it had been discovered that many unscrupulous traders had taken advantage of the negligence in the production process of silver bills to secretly forge many counterfeit banknotes and make profits from them. This kind of behavior is undoubtedly a serious challenge to the credibility of the country's banknotes, and if it is allowed to spread, the circulation value of silver bills will be questioned.

Seeing the seriousness of the problem, some celebrities in the government and the opposition have written letters to petition the imperial court to strictly control the production and circulation of silver bills, formulate relevant laws and regulations, and punish those who make and sell counterfeits, so as to maintain the stability of the national monetary system. After careful consideration, the imperial court decided to take decisive measures to comprehensively rectify the system of silver ticket management.

First of all, the imperial court ordered that the right to produce silver tickets be transferred to the central government, and that production standards and quality supervision methods should be formulated in a unified manner. Previously, the private printing of silver bills was repeatedly prohibited, and the imperial court was determined to completely return this power to the central government and issue it by the government. At the same time, the imperial court vigorously supported the specialized production of silver stamps from various aspects such as personnel, technology, and equipment.

As we all know, the banknote making technology is far more complex than the ordinary printing process, for this reason, the imperial court selected a group of highly skilled craftsmen from all over the country, set up a special institution for printing silver bills, equipped with advanced banknote making equipment. After months of training and preparation, the craftsmen have mastered the core production process of silver tickets.

At the same time, the imperial court paid attention to the study of various anti-counterfeiting methods of silver tickets. They found that the reason why silver tickets are easy to be counterfeited is that the materials and craftsmanship are too rudimentary. Therefore, they set out to improve the raw materials and printing process of silver tickets to enhance their anti-counterfeiting capabilities. For example, the imperial court ordered that the original mulberry paper be replaced with a higher grade of Korean paper, which was more delicate and tough, and with a special paste formula, it was difficult to imitate.

The unique anti-counterfeiting design of the silver ticket

While carrying out a comprehensive reform of the silver bills, the imperial court also specially ordered the money bureau to study a series of exquisite anti-counterfeiting designs to ensure the authority of the silver bills and the difficulty of being imitated.

First of all, it was the raw material for the silver stamp, and after trial and error, the imperial court finally chose Korean traditional Korean paper. Korean paper has been known for its delicate texture and resistance to wear and tear since ancient times, making it the best choice for making silver tickets. Compared with the mulberry paper used before, the material of Korean paper is more exquisite, and only after a special process can it be made to form a unique texture and texture.

With ordinary folk handicrafts, it is impossible to imitate the texture of Korean paper, which provides a solid foundation for the anti-counterfeiting of silver tickets. From then on, once it is found that the material of the silver ticket is not up to standard, it can be judged to be a counterfeit.

In addition to the use of high-quality materials, the imperial court also put a lot of effort into the layout design of the silver tickets. They ordered the technicians of the money bureau to design a set of extremely mysterious patterns, which were engraved on the corners and edges of each silver ticket. These patterns may seem ordinary, but in fact they are hidden mysteries, and only an expert can figure out the mysteries.

It is said that the composition of these patterns originated from a code in ancient scriptures, which implied some special rules and meanings. If you look closely, you will find that there are some seemingly irregular small characters in the pattern, which are the passwords carefully designed by the imperial court to prevent counterfeiting. These codes have been carved by the artist so carefully that even if you look at them with a magnifying glass, you can't make out their meanings.

More importantly, the imperial court also specially selected a group of miniature carving masters from famous families from all over the country to be responsible for carving a line of dense small characters on the silver ticket. The characters of these small characters are made by masters, and the penmanship is strong and powerful, even if the font is small, but with the help of a special cutting process, the font can be made vivid.

Periodic Silver Ticket version updates

Even as the production of silver tickets became more sophisticated, the imperial court was aware of the hidden dangers of being forged. After all, as long as it takes long enough, people who know the inside story can be bribed and reveal the secrets of the production of silver tickets. Once these secrets are in the hands of the unscrupulous, the authority of the silver ticket will be lost.

In order to eliminate this risk in the first place, the imperial court made a very wise decision: regularly update the version of the silver ticket. The imperial court ordered that every few years, the money bureau must redesign a new version of the silver ticket, replacing all anti-counterfeiting elements such as materials, patterns, and passwords.

This may seem simple, but it does more with less. Because the versions of silver bills are constantly changing, even if the secrets of banknote making were once revealed, those secrets would be useless after a few years. If you want to forge a new version of the silver ticket, there is no other way unless there is inside information.

In this way, through continuous generational changes, the imperial court effectively cut off the source of counterfeit banknotes. Whenever a new version of the silver stamp came out, the imperial court would order that the old version should be stopped from circulation after a certain period of time, and that it should be confiscated and cancelled. At the same time, the anti-counterfeiting measures of the new version of the silver ticket will be kept secret, and no one will know except for a few personnel in the money bureau.

In order to avoid the leakage of the production process of the new version of the silver ticket, the imperial court took strict precautions. The craftsmen of the money bureau were strictly controlled in a closed production workshop, and their entry and exit had to be checked at various levels, and their daily life was also arranged by the imperial court, isolated from the outside world. Even the transportation of paper and the tools for engraving were guarded by the sergeants.

Such strict control makes it difficult for counterfeiters of silver tickets to get their hands on. Even those veterans who have been in the mall for many years and are accustomed to counterfeiting can only shake their heads and regret when faced with the new version of the silver ticket. They had no way of knowing the true password of the silver ticket, let alone which master had written the font in those small characters, so naturally they had no way to imitate it.

The foresight and determination of the imperial court

Looking back on the entire anti-counterfeiting road of silver tickets, it is not difficult for us to find the far-sightedness and firm determination of the imperial court. They were not confused by the phased results in front of them, but proceeded from the height of the country's long-term development and continued to improve the anti-counterfeiting system of silver tickets.

At first, the silver ticket was only an experimental attempt, in order to facilitate business travel and reduce the burden. However, with the growing popularity of silver tickets, the imperial court realized its important impact on the country's economy. If it gets out of control, it could lead to a huge disaster. Therefore, they took action as soon as possible to solve the problem of counterfeit silver tickets at the root.

If you let counterfeit money rampant, you think, society will fall into chaos. As the country's paper money, once the trust of the silver ticket is lost, the entire commercial activity will be paralyzed. At that time, both the government's tax revenue and the people's lives will be greatly impacted. In view of this, the imperial court repeatedly studied and did not hesitate to spend a lot of manpower and material resources of the country, just to completely cure the scourge of counterfeit banknotes.

From the initial management omission, to the later strict control; From the use of ordinary paper to the use of high-quality Korean paper; From simple printing processes to engraved codes and delicate patterns...... The anti-counterfeiting road of silver tickets can be called an extraordinary chapter. The imperial court was determined to make the silver ticket a truly trustworthy currency, no matter what the cost.

They did not stop at initial success, but continued to increase investment in science and technology, update and innovate. Regularly changing the silver ticket version and reinventing the production process requires a great deal of determination and courage. After all, every update means that all the hard work and investment that has been done in the past is lost, but the court still moves forward with the courage to achieve the ultimate goal.

It can be said that it was precisely because of the unremitting efforts of the imperial court that the silver ticket was able to achieve stability and long-term success in that era. To this day, every time we see the exquisite design of ancient banknotes, we cannot but admire the wisdom and foresight of our ancestors. They have left a legacy for future generations and have set an example of governance.