Seal of the United States Department of the Treasury
| Seal of the Department of the Treasury | |
|---|---|
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| Details | |
| Armiger | U.S. Department of the Treasury |
| Adopted | January 29, 1968 |
| Torse | THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY - 1789 |
| Escutcheon | Chevron with thirteen stars, a balance, and a key. |
| Earlier versions | .png) |
| Use | To represent the organization and to authenticate currency and certain documents. |
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| Adopted | January 11, 1963 |
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| Design | Background of mintleaf green with an eagle, holding a scroll emblazoned with "THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY" in its beak, while resting on a shield. In the eagle's claws is another scroll, emblazoned with "1789". |
Symbols of the United States Department of the Treasury include the Flag of the Treasury Department and the U.S. Treasury Seal. The seal actually predates the department itself, having originated with the Board of Treasury during the period of the Articles of Confederation. The seal is used on all U.S. paper currency, and (like other departmental seals) on official Treasury documents.
The seal includes a chevron with thirteen stars, representing the original thirteen states. Above the chevron is a balance, representing justice. The key below the chevron represents authority and trust.
The phrase THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY is around the rim, and 1789 (the year the department was established) is at the bottom. This inscription is in a Cheltanham Bold font.
In 1778, the Second Continental Congress named John Witherspoon, Gouverneur Morris and Richard Henry Lee to design seals for the Treasury and the Navy. The committee reported on a design for the Navy the following year, but there is no record of a report about a seal for the Treasury.
The actual creator of the U.S. Treasury seal was Francis Hopkinson, who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and also contributed to the design of the Great Seal of the United States. He is known to have later submitted bills to the Congress in 1780 seeking payment for his design of flags, currency, and several seals, including one for the Board of Treasury. The earliest known usage of the seal was in 1782. When the United States Government was established in 1789, the new Department of the Treasury continued to use the existing seal.
In addition to the elements still found on the current seal, the original featured more ornamentation and the Latin inscription THESAUR. AMER. SEPTENT. SIGIL. around the rim. The inscription is an abbreviation for the phrase Thesauri Americae Septentrionalis Sigillum, which translates to "The Seal of the Treasury of North America". The reason for the original wording that embraced all of North America is unknown, although interestingly the first national bank—chartered in 1781 to help solidify the nation's finances—was named the Bank of North America.
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