US-DeptOfTheTreasury-Pre1968Seal

Old version of the seal of the United States Department of the Treasury, prior to the design being simplified in 1968.

According to Treasury records, the original seal was probably designed in 1778 by Francis Hopkinson for the Board of Treasury during the period of the Articles of Confederation, meaning the seal predates the Federal Government and the Department of the Treasury itself. The earliest documented usage of the seal was in 1782. The Treasury seal has been printed on U.S. paper currency since 1862.

The Latin inscription is an abbreviation for the phrase Thesauri Americae Septentrionalis Sigillum, which means "The Seal of the Treasury of North America." The arms depicts balancing scales (to represent justice), a key (the emblem of official authority) and a chevron with thirteen stars (to represent the original states).

The design of the seal was simplified in 1968; the major elements remained but the Latin inscription was replaced by "Department of the Treasury", and the year of the Department of the Treasury's creation (1789) was added to the bottom. Paper money started using the new design with the 1969 series of bills.