cash
Enable an AI agent to recognise physical cash, assess its value and usability, and determine whether it may be counted, held, transferred, spent, deposited or presented for exchange.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex + Grok
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to recognise physical cash, assess its value and usability, and determine whether it may be counted, held, transferred, spent, deposited or presented for exchange.
Physical cash is bearer legal-tender money in the form of banknotes and coins issued or authorised by a monetary authority, transferred by delivery and accepted at face value without an account intermediary.
It can be Count and sort pieces by currency, denomination, issue and condition.; Inspect authenticity indicators and record the limits of the assessment.; Assemble a payment amount and determine whether change is required.; Secure, separate or transfer a cash lot while recording custody and authority.; Present eligible cash for payment, deposit, exchange or redemption.; Separate suspect, damaged or contaminated pieces pending appropriate assessment..
Distinguishing features
The subject consists of tangible banknotes or coins, rather than a balance accessible through an account or device.
Its claimed monetary identity can be linked to a currency, issuing authority and denomination; a generic token or voucher requires a different model.
Its face value is established from denominations and quantities, rather than principally from material weight or collectible rarity.
The physical pieces must change custody when this particular cash holding is delivered; recording a transfer instruction alone does not deliver it.
A suspected counterfeit can be recorded as purported cash while its monetary validity remains unresolved.
Scope
+ Individual banknotes and coins and identified lots of physical cash
+ Currency, issuing authority, denomination and issue identification
+ Counts and face-value totals separated by currency
+ Evidence of authenticity, damage, contamination and completeness
+ Physical custody, ownership claims and authority to move or use the cash
+ Suitability for a specified payment, deposit, withdrawal or exchange
- Bank account balances, electronic money and cryptocurrency holdings
- Payment obligations, invoices and the transactions cash may settle
- Wallets, safes, cash drawers and transport containers as objects
- Foreign-exchange pricing and conversion transactions
- Numismatic valuation and collectible trading
- Monetary policy, currency systems and issuer governance
Characteristics
- Cash form
- banknote | coin | mixed lot | unresolved Determines appropriate counting, inspection, storage and handling methods.
- Currency and issuer
- Identified currency and issuing authority, with unresolved candidates where necessary Anchors denomination interpretation and the search for applicable acceptance or exchange rules.
- Denomination composition
- Piece count per denomination, currency and relevant issue Supports total calculation, recounting and exact-payment decisions.
- Counted face value
- Amount in each identified currency, with disputed or unreadable pieces distinguished Records the nominal amount present without treating it as verified spendable value.
- Issue identity
- Series, issue year, design variant and serial number where present and relevant Supports issue-specific authentication, validity checks and identification of particular notes.
- Authenticity assessment
- unassessed | inconclusive | assessed genuine | suspected counterfeit | determined counterfeit; accompanied by evidence Prevents a visual impression or successful count from being treated as proof of authenticity.
- Physical condition
- Observed wear, tears, missing portions, alteration, corrosion, soiling or contamination Affects safe handling, machine processing, acceptance and possible redemption.
- Custody and disposition authority
- Current custodian, location, claimed owner, authorised actor and applicable restrictions Distinguishes physical possession from permission to spend or transfer.
- Contextual usability
- accepted | rejected | conditional | unknown for a named recipient, channel, place, time and purpose Supports a concrete action without assuming universal acceptance.
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.cash
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions.
Monetary identity Establishes what currency and issue the physical pieces purport to represent.
Appearance alone does not establish denomination, issuer or whether a piece belongs to the intended cash category.
Currency and denomination
Identifies the monetary markings needed to interpret a piece's nominal value.
Claimed monetary identity
Record the observed form, currency, issuer and denomination, distinguishing readable markings from inferred identity.
- What currency, issuing authority and denomination does this note or coin claim to represent? definition
- Which markings support that identification, and which are unreadable or ambiguous? provenance
Issue and category boundaries
Distinguishes currency issues from replicas, tokens and objects whose monetary role is uncertain.
Issue classification
Record the apparent series or design and any evidence that the object is a replica, specimen, token or noncirculating issue.
- Which issue or series matches the observed design and identifiers? definition
- Does this piece qualify for this cash model, or require a linked token, replica or collectible model? boundary
Cash composition and count Establishes the physical holding and its denomination-based amounts.
Cash decisions require both the total amount and the pieces available to make that amount.
Lot boundary and count
Defines which pieces belong to the holding and how their quantities were established.
Count evidence
Record counts by denomination with counting method, time and any unresolved discrepancy; distinguish observed contents from package labels.
- Which pieces or packages are included, and how many pieces of each denomination were actually counted? measurement
- Was the count manual, machine-produced or taken from a label, and when was it last verified? provenance
Amount and payment composition
Calculates nominal totals and tests whether available denominations can satisfy a specified amount.
Denomination arithmetic
Record totals separately by currency and identify pieces excluded from a proposed use because their identity or usability is unresolved.
- What face-value total follows from the recorded denomination counts in each currency? measurement
- Can the usable pieces make the requested payment exactly, or what change would be needed? action
Authenticity and condition Assesses whether pieces are credible currency and physically suitable for the intended handling or use.
A cash count can be arithmetically correct while including suspect or unusable pieces.
Authentication evidence
Records issue-specific inspection evidence and the limits of any authenticity conclusion.
Supported authenticity assessment
Attach an assessment to the inspected pieces, recording the checks, reference information and assessor or device.
- Which security features or physical properties were checked against a reference for this particular issue? provenance
- What assessment do those checks support, and which pieces require further examination before use? action
Damage and handling
Records defects affecting recognition, processing, safe handling or possible redemption.
Condition limits
Describe observed damage and contamination without inferring eligibility for redemption from appearance alone.
- What wear, missing material, alteration or contamination is observable on each affected piece? measurement
- What handling, separation or specialist assessment is needed before these pieces can be used or presented for redemption? action
Custody and authority Connects a physical holding to its custodian, provenance and permitted disposition.
Cash may be physically accessible while belonging to another party or being reserved for a restricted purpose.
Holding and handover
Locates the cash and records evidence of receipt or delivery.
Cash custody evidence
Record the current custodian and location, with handover counts and acknowledgements sufficient to recognise discrepancies.
- Who currently holds this cash, and where is the identified lot located? provenance
- What receipt, count or acknowledgement establishes the amount received at the latest handover? provenance
Permission to dispose
Distinguishes possession, ownership claims and authority for a proposed use.
Authorised cash use
Record whose cash it is claimed to be, the basis for acting on it and any restrictions relevant to the intended action.
- Who claims ownership, and what evidence authorises the agent or custodian to spend, deposit or transfer this holding? provenance
- Do reservations, disputes or handling restrictions prevent the proposed disposition? action
Acceptance and exchange Determines whether particular pieces can serve a specified monetary purpose in a defined context.
Face value, currency status and actual acceptance answer different questions about what can be done with cash.
Currency status
Records sourced status for the relevant currency issue, territory and date.
Issue status evidence
Keep circulation, withdrawal, legal-tender and redemption status distinct, with evidence and effective dates where established.
- What authoritative information establishes this issue's status in the intended territory on the relevant date? provenance
- Does any withdrawal or status change affect payment use, exchange eligibility or both? boundary
Recipient and channel fit
Checks the actual requirements of a payee, bank, machine or redemption service.
Proposed use eligibility
Record acceptance evidence for the intended recipient and channel, including denomination, condition, quantity and procedural requirements.
- Will the intended recipient or channel accept this currency, issue, denomination mix and physical condition? action
- What preparation, documentation, fees or limits apply to the proposed payment, deposit or exchange? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Paper circulating banknotes
- Polymer circulating banknotes
- Circulating coins (token/fiat, typically base metal)
- Legal-tender commemorative and collector notes and coins
- Foreign-currency notes and coins held as cash
- Specie (intrinsic-metal coins used as money)
- Unfit, mutilated, or withdrawn notes and coins still physically extant
- Emergency, occupation, or other authorised cash substitutes (scrip) when they circulate as currency
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of cash this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- ISO 4217 alphabetic code - three uppercase letters (e.g. USD, EUR, JPY, INR) - Names the currency unit of the piece, not the individual note or coin.
- ISO 4217 numeric code - three digits (e.g. 840, 978) - Numeric counterpart of the alphabetic currency code.
- Banknote serial number - issuer-specific alphanumeric string printed on each note - Identifies an individual note; format and check digits vary by central bank and series.
- Pick number (Standard Catalog of World Paper Money) - P-n or similar catalog number per type/series - Numismatic type identifier for banknotes, not a circulating serial.
- Krause-Mishler (KM) number - KM# n per coin type - Standard catalog identifier for circulating and commemorative coins.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of cash this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- ISO 4217 (International Organization for Standardization) - codes for the representation of currencies and funds
- National currency, coinage, and legal-tender acts, and the issue statutes of the relevant central bank or monetary authority (jurisdiction-specific; e.g. Federal Reserve note issue in the United States, Bank of England note issue in England and Wales)
- FATF Recommendation 32 on cash couriers (Financial Action Task Force) - declaration/disclosure of cross-border physical cash
- Regulation (EU) 2018/1672 of the European Parliament and of the Council on controls on cash entering or leaving the Union (European Union)
- National anti-money-laundering cash-transaction reporting and cash-payment caps (e.g. United States Bank Secrecy Act currency transaction reports via FinCEN at USD 10,000; member-state cash-payment limits under EU AML frameworks)
- Central-bank rules on unfit, mutilated, and counterfeit notes (redemption, seizure, and destruction procedures)
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of cash this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Face-to-face retail payment and change-giving at tills
- Person-to-person settlement without a bank or card network, including tips and informal-economy payments
- ATM withdrawal and over-the-counter branch cash services
- Merchant till holdings, cash offices, and cash-in-transit movement between banks, retailers, and central-bank cash centres
- Central-bank issuance, authentication, fitness sorting, recirculation, and destruction of unfit notes
- Store of value, including high-denomination notes and foreign-currency cash in dollarized or high-inflation settings
- Declared (or undeclared) carriage across borders above customs/AML thresholds
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of cash this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Face value (denomination) - smallest circulating coin up to the largest circulating note of that currency (e.g. USD notes 1-100; EUR notes 5-200 after curtailment of 500) - currency units of the ISO 4217 code
- Note length × width - about 120-180 × 60-85 - mm
- Coin mass - about 1.5-28 for ordinary circulating coins - g
- Piece count in a standard note bundle - typically 100 notes (bricks/packs vary by cash centre) - pieces
- Currency in circulation relative to GDP - roughly 2-15 depending on economy and cash intensity - % of GDP
- Fitness class - fit for recirculation vs unfit for destruction (central-bank sorter grades) - categorical
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of cash this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Counterfeiting and circulation of forged notes or coins
- Theft, robbery, and loss - bearer character means possession is ordinarily title
- Wear, soil, tears, and mutilation rendering notes unfit; dye-pack or stolen-cash staining
- Demonetisation or series invalidation leaving holders with non-redeemable paper if exchange windows close
- Inflation or sudden loss of purchasing power while the physical tokens remain
- Use in money laundering, tax evasion, and illicit trade; bulk cash smuggling
- Cash-in-transit and ATM attacks; till shortfalls and internal theft
- Coin melt when metal content exceeds face value; note shortages from distribution failure
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of cash this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- In accounting (IFRS/US GAAP) "cash" includes demand deposits; as a physical object it does not - the registry sense is notes and coins only
- United States colloquial "cash" often means notes; coins are "change." United Kingdom "cash" is notes and coins; Scottish and Northern Irish notes are not legal tender throughout the UK but are widely accepted
- Euro area shares euro cash; several member states cap cash payments. Sweden and some other northern European economies are near-cashless in retail, while cash remains dominant for small payments in parts of southern Europe, Japan, and many emerging markets
- India's 2016 withdrawal of ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes is a large recent demonetisation; polymer notes are standard in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, while United States Federal Reserve notes remain cotton-paper
- Dollarized and highly dollarized economies (e.g. Ecuador, Zimbabwe at various times, parts of Latin America) treat USD cash as everyday circulating money
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of cash this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Transferable bank deposits (scriptural money) - A deposit is an account claim on a bank transferred by payment order; cash is a physical bearer token that settles by delivery.
- Cash equivalents (accounting) - Short-term highly liquid instruments (e.g. T-bills, money-market funds) classified with cash on a balance sheet; they are not notes or coins.
- Electronic money, cards, and CBDC - Recorded as an electronic claim or balance; no physical note or coin changes hands.
- Cheques, money orders, and similar instruments - Orders to pay, not currency; they require collection and can bounce.
- Vouchers, tokens, gift cards, casino chips, and private scrip - Limited-acceptance media, generally not legal tender for all debts in the jurisdiction.
- Investment bullion (bars and non-tender ingots) - Traded for metal content and purity; legal-tender bullion coins may be cash in law even when they do not circulate at face value.
- Cryptocurrency - Not issued as physical legal tender by a monetary authority; transfer is by ledger update, not delivery of a note or coin.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of cash this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Sources
- Cash - Core sense of cash as physical currency (banknotes and coins) as distinct from bank money; neighbouring payment instruments.
- ISO 4217 - Currency codes - The three-letter (and numeric) codes that name the currency unit of which a cash piece is a token, not the physical object itself.
- Monetary and Financial Statistics Manual and Compilation Guide - Statistical treatment of currency in circulation as a liability of the issuer, distinct from transferable deposits and cash equivalents.
- The FATF Recommendations (Recommendation 32 - Cash Couriers) - Cross-border cash declaration and control as the main international AML/CFT standard applying to physical cash movements.
- Euro banknotes and coins (European Central Bank) - Issuance, denominations, legal-tender status, fitness sorting, and withdrawal of high-denomination notes in a major currency area.
- Statistics on payment, clearing and settlement systems (CPMI Red Book) - Comparative use of cash versus non-cash payment instruments and stocks of currency in circulation.
What the second pass must settle
- Does the registry intend cash to include withdrawn currency, noncirculating legal-tender issues and commodity money, or only physical currency intended for ordinary circulation?
- Which existing Vercy models own currency systems, collectible coins and payment instruments, and where should shared concepts be linked?
- What evidence threshold and assessor authority should distinguish assessed genuine from inconclusive or suspected counterfeit?
- Which authoritative sources and update intervals are required for issue status, acceptance constraints and damaged-cash redemption in each supported jurisdiction?
- When should the model identify individual pieces rather than denomination lots, and what provenance is necessary when lots are split, combined or recounted?