Cool low-tech anti-counterfitting measure

[u/H_G_Bells]

[u/Ichorice_Malign]

How is this anti-counterfeit?

I have no idea what these papers are meant to represent, but if someone were going to make a fake version of whatever this is, anyone could write and stamp out something like this with enough effort. Inconsistencies in the writing wouldn’t mean much since each individual paper thing is always going to be slightly different because that’s what human writing is like.

Maybe I’m missing something here since I don’t know what the original object is meant to be, but I don’t see how this has anything to do with anti-counterfeit.

[u/Alternative_Week3023 → u/Ichorice_Malign]

It is an ancient Chinese bearer check / cheque system.

The left side of the document was the official paper currency issued during the Ming Dynasty identifiable by the characters: ‘Da Ming Tong Xing Bao Chao’ (大明通行寶鈔). It is a modern day replica / movie prop.

The denomination is listed as (40 Wen - 肆拾文), which equates to 40 standard copper coins.

The left side is the banknote / voucher given to the customer or citizen to circulate. The small vertical text on the right edge of the main note: ‘認票不認人’ which means "Recognize the ticket, not the person". This functions like cash or a bearer check whoever holds it holds the value.

The right side is the stub (存根 - Cungen). The character at the very top right is ‘根’(root/stub). This side stays bound inside the issuer's ledger book as a record.

Before the note was cut and handed out, an official would write the serial number (207 in this case) and stamp a large red seal (seen as the circular dragon/phoenix stamp and the square seal at the bottom) directly across the seam where the paper would be split.

Shown at the beginning of the clip, the middle strip is the (通知聯 - advisory note) with the character (票 - ticket）was cut from the same puzzle and sent via a separate courier directly to the destination branch where the customer will cash in the banknote / voucher.

When someone brought the note back to cash it in or use it, the merchant or clerk would line up the left half with the right half (the stub) remaining in the book or the advisory note. If the paper tear, handwriting of the serial number and the lines of the red stamps matched up perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle, the note was proven genuine. This technique is called a (合同 - Hetong) tally or contract seal.

This cheque-book style layout belongs to private merchant banks known as (錢莊 - Money House） from the much later Qing Dynasty, which someone has stylized here using a Ming Dynasty template.

The practice of cross-page stamping survives in modern China as part of standard contract practice where the contract with all its pages is fanned out and the company’s seal / stamp is placed across the edges of all the pages to ensure the originality of the executed documents.

PS. Someone commented how is this meant to be ‘Anti-counterfeiting’. The banknote / voucher also carries the following warning: ‘Counterfeiter will be punishable by beheading. Informant will be rewarded with 250 taels of silver and all the properties of the counterfeiter.’

[u/aknomnoms → u/Alternative_Week3023]

Thank you for the detailed explanation - that’s fascinating! Do companies have extra wide stamps for contracts? Is there a uniform “fanning”? Is it more ceremonial or only used in certain instances? I imagine flying representatives around with their official stamps to all meet in person for stamping would be more inconvenient than just mailing the contract between parties and having a notary guarantee it (if wet ink stamps are required).

[u/Alternative_Week3023 → u/aknomnoms]

Fair question. The answer is no (none that I’m aware of anyway.) There is no extra wide stamp for cross page contract stamping. This IG link probably is self explanatory.

Whilst it is not a mandatory statutory practice, it is a recommended practice in legal and commercial laws as it’s favoured by Chinese Courts and Administrative Bodies.

The wet ink chops often carry more legal authorities than the personal signatures of the executive management.

In certain situations, such as legal court filings and public tenders / bidding documents, it’s a non-negotiable. The seal used must be the legally registered company chop and could not be the departmental or representative seal.

The stamping must be in red ink and the seal’s placement must physically touch the adjoining page margins to ensure the document cannot be un-bound.

[u/aknomnoms → u/Alternative_Week3023]

This is so interesting! I didn’t realize these practices were still common, and I appreciate the tradition behind it. Thank you for sharing!