"Oh, that's a voucher, also called a silver dollar voucher! I heard that in the past few years, many merchants and university professors said that copper coins and silver coins have a low currency value and are heavy, making large-scale long-distance transactions very inconvenient. Please submit a letter
The imperial court requested to find a way. Later, the imperial court studied and studied it and tried this silver dollar coupon."
"Silver dollar coupon?"
Yin Sak was a little impressed by this new word.
"John, I remember that in Guangzhou, people from the Border Bureau and the Municipal Shipping Supervision told us that the gold and silver we brought with us could be exchanged for silver dollar coupons at the bank, which would be more convenient. But at that time we..."
Yinsak whispered a few words to John in Greek.
John rolled his eyes and asked again in a weird accent.
"Big guy (Dago), what does this silver dollar coupon mean?"
"Silver dollar coupons are silver dollar exchange tickets issued by several major banks. They have a fixed amount and can be redeemed immediately upon meeting, so they are called silver dollar coupons."
"bank?"
"You can deposit money there, or you can borrow money from it... When it first came out, there were some called banks, and some called them for ticket numbers, and later they were all called banks." Duda explained.
Yin Sak pondered for a while and whispered to John: "This is very similar to a financial institution of Venetian merchants. When you save money and borrow money, there is an interest difference. Unexpectedly, Song Dynasty not only has it, but also can issue exchanges
Gold and silver coins.”
John blinked and asked Duda: "Can all banks issue silver dollar coupons?"
"How is that possible?" Duda laughed, "If everyone issued silver dollar coupons, wouldn't it be like the Jiaozi from twenty or thirty years ago and become useless paper? I heard from a traveler who has been on our ship, Fufeng Bank
The manager of the Guangzhou branch said that there are only three banks in the Song Dynasty that can issue silver yuan coupons."
"Fuguo, Fufeng, and Xingye, three banks that have obtained Class A licenses and also received interoperability licenses, have been authorized by a special order from the Shangshu Province to issue silver yuan coupons. I heard that each bank has a certain amount of gold and silver deposited in the national treasury.
Make a guarantee, and then issue their respective silver dollar coupons according to the ratio. Some say the ratio is one to three, and some say one to two. I don’t understand it, I can’t figure it out.”
"At that time, people who were gathered around us asked, "Didn't the Baoquan Bureau issue it? You can print as many copies as you want?"
When John and Yin Sak heard this, they thought, Hey, this is what we want to ask too.
Duda continued: "The manager said, it's not that simple. The total number of silver dollar coupons in each bank is fixed. It's not enough to just deposit gold and silver into the treasury. How many silver dollar coupons are issued by the three major banks every year?
Sit with the Ministry of Planning to come up with a total number and submit it to the Minister of Finance for approval.
"How many old bills can be reissued in order to reissue them? Baoquan Bureau prints silver dollar coupons in accordance with the instructions from the top. After printing, all silver dollar coupons are registered. The Planning Department and the three major banks inspect them separately before taking them back.
Issuance. Anyway, it’s very complicated, so Baoquan Bureau just printed it and watched the fun for myself.”
Seeing John and Yinsak becoming more and more fascinated as they listened, Duda was also very happy and showed off even more.
"The face value of silver yuan coupons is also divided into two silver yuan, five, one ten, five ten, and one hundred yuan. It is rare to see five silver yuan and one hundred yuan. I have only seen it a few times in the past two years, and they were all generous.
Rich men, give rewards in the tile fence."
Wasi Goulan? It sounds like a wealthy area. If you have a chance, go and check it out.
John's mind flashed and he asked again: "Are these silver dollar coupons printed by these three banks themselves?"
"It doesn't seem to be the case. I heard from the steward that the pattern of the silver dollar coupons was designed by three banks. However, the printing must be uniformly printed by the Baoquan Bureau. I heard that the paper for the silver dollar coupons is very special and is specially made by the Kaifeng Paper Factory. There are also inks and printing presses, all specially developed by Gewuyuan, and no one outside can make them."
Duda thought for a while and continued: "I heard from the steward that each silver dollar coupon has a unique number, a corresponding secret key, and any special marks. It is difficult to copy anyway. Think about it, a piece of paper It’s worth the old nose’s money. If there’s nothing in it, anyone can print it, so it won’t be a mess?”
"Are these silver dollar coupons accepted everywhere in the Song Dynasty?"
"Of course, not only do the three major banks recognize each other directly, but also other large and small banks and shops. In the past, merchants and common people in some states and counties did not recognize each other. Last year, the minister issued a decree. From now on, you can use this silver dollar coupon to pay taxes. The tax administration also recognizes it. Now it’s better, everyone recognizes it, it’s money!”
Duda became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke.
"So when merchants from various countries arrived in the Song Dynasty with gold and silver, the first thing they did was to go to the branches of major local banks and exchange their gold and silver for silver dollar coupons. The amount was large, and they could directly make a money order."
"What's a money order?"
Yin Sak wanted to grab a handful of hair and pull it off.
There are many other curious things in the Song Dynasty. Before I could understand the silver dollar coupon in front, another money order came out.
"A money order is a note issued by a bank to prove how much money you have, and it can also be used in another place. For example, if you exchange gold and silver at the Guangzhou Branch of China Commercial Bank, and besides purchasing goods in Guangzhou, you also plan to go to Quanzhou to purchase goods, you can draw one For money orders, please go to the Quanzhou branch. When you get to the Quanzhou branch, you can either exchange it for a silver dollar coupon, or you can directly ask the bank to pay the merchant."
"What if I want to use it somewhere else?" Yinsak asked.
"It's simple. For example, if you want to go to Mingzhou to purchase goods, you can exchange the remaining money from the money order into silver dollar coupons and take it directly to Mingzhou; or you can make a money order at the Quanzhou branch specifying the Mingzhou branch. When you get to Mingzhou, you still have the same problem. It works."
John heard some clues: "Dago, the money order you mentioned is only issued by a certain bank and is accepted by your own bank, but is not recognized by other banks?"
"Mr. Yue is really a smart man. I let you understand all the nonsense I said. That's right. The money order is the bank's internal bill, which is usually drawn by oneself. In the past, each of them issued their own, and it all depended on the bank's own reputation. , something happened in the middle. This year..."
"Becoming an Immortal in One Step"
"Dago, did you tell me something happened? What happened?" John interrupted and asked.
"No business in this world is guaranteed to make a profit without losing money. There must be profits and losses. Some banks are small and have small capital, but the boss just wants to embarrass themselves and do big business. As a result, the money order is issued before the person has arrived. But the bank collapsed, causing everyone else to be in trouble. This happened several times. So I heard that the Ministry of Planning issued another document, requiring a money order license to be issued."
"It is said that the amount of money required to be deposited in the public treasury of the Dasong Bank Association can be issued in proportion to the amount of money. I heard people in the restaurant say that this way, those small banks without capital will be stuck, and most of them will have troubles in the past. It's them. Secondly, with this deposit, if something happens, you'll still have a guarantee. So now the money order has become a universal money order, recognized by all banks, and some big firms also accept it."
"Isn't that different from a silver dollar coupon?" Yin Sak muttered.
"It's really different. The denomination of silver yuan coupons is small, so it can be used casually without any handling fee, and it is recognized by the people, businesses, and governments. The denomination of the money order is large, and there is a handling fee for cashing it. I don't know how much it is. Except for banks and some major banks,
The business names are recognized, but most business names are not recognized by the people or the government."
After hearing Duda's explanation, both John and Yin Sak understood.
"Then, how many merchants from various countries entered the Song Dynasty and exchanged gold and silver for silver coupons?"
"For regular customers who have been here several times, the first thing they do when they enter Guangzhou or Shanghai Port is to apply for silver dollar coupons and money orders. There are many benefits. Most of the strangers who have just arrived are unwilling to do so. They have only suffered some losses.
When you come back next time, remember to apply for silver dollar coupons and money orders."
John and Yin Sak looked at each other, feeling a little uneasy, and couldn't help but ask.
"Why?"
"It is convenient and affordable to issue silver dollar coupons and money orders." Duda replied, "The banks in various seaports, such as Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Mingzhou, Shanghai, Dongxing and other places, are the most reputable."
"The gold and silver brought by maritime merchants are of varying purity. It is most fair to go to those branches to exchange for silver dollar coupons and make money orders. A shipload of gold and silver is exchanged for silver dollar coupons, and you can just wrap it up and leave. If it is
You can hide a money order directly in your pocket. Even if you encounter any accident, run faster."
That's right.
"If you refuse to exchange and just use gold and silver to trade with a merchant to buy things, haha, that would not be so fair. As for the exchange rate of gold and silver, the bank is one thing, and the merchant is another. This
The difference in price can be big or small. If you are stupid and get slaughtered as a fat sheep, you will be lucky."
"Secondly, the gold and silver brought by merchants are of various colors. Banks have ways to sort them out, and there are other ways to make money. In order to collect more gold and silver, they can deposit it in the national treasury and issue more silver dollar coupons, or deposit it in the public treasury to increase the amount of the bill.
, put water inside
All is fine, so the price is fair. There is no way for the store to clarify the fineness of gold and silver. They will bargain with their eyes closed and try their best to squeeze your fineness, so as to make a lot of money. Even if they don't cheat on you, you will still suffer a lot.
.”
Seeing John and Yinsak's faces getting darker and darker, the alert Duda blurted out and asked: "Didn't you two exchange silver dollar coupons?" This chapter has been completed!
