Those emblems on your credit card from the 80’s 90's

[NoMoreE46]

I happened to look at a few of my Visa cards and noticed the different styles of holograms  for Visa network cards.

I did a little searching about this and found this article from 2020:  Dove Hologram VISA.

The four types of security features for Visa are the:

1) Standard Dove

2) Mini Dove 

3) Silhouetted Dove

4) No Dove - PVBM. (PVBM has built-in anti-counterfeiting security features that has surpassed the dove hologram.)

Issuers are allowed to use up existing inventory of whatever version that have stocked.   I noticed that my PNC Points has the Mini, my NFCU Flagship has the Silhouetted while my USB cards have the PVBM.   Personally, I like the silhouetted the best and prefer Visa's security emblem to Mastercard's interlocked globes.   It appears that emblems for Discover and Amex are no longer used today...

[ptatohed]

I forgot about those holograms.  Many of my cards are at home but, from what's in my wallet, these cards still have the hologram:

Back side of my Chase Visa debit

Back side of my nusenda Visa

Back side of my upgrade Visa

Not a dove, obviously, but some weird looking elongated circle thing on the back of my SYW MC.

[NoMoreE46]

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@ptatohed wrote:

I forgot about those holograms.  Many of my cards are at home but, from what's in my wallet, these cards still have the hologram:

Back side of my Chase Visa debit

Back side of my nusenda Visa

Back side of my upgrade Visa

Not a dove, obviously, but some weird looking elongated circle thing on the back of my SYW MC.

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The MC have a pair of interlocked globes.

[ptatohed]

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@NoMoreE46 wrote:

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@ptatohed wrote:

I forgot about those holograms.  Many of my cards are at home but, from what's in my wallet, these cards still have the hologram:

Back side of my Chase Visa debit

Back side of my nusenda Visa

Back side of my upgrade Visa

Not a dove, obviously, but some weird looking elongated circle thing on the back of my SYW MC.

---

The MC have a pair of interlocked globes.

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My first though was that it was the two MC overlapping circled but it doesn't really looks like that!  

[TrapLine]

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@NoMoreE46 wrote:

I happened to look at a few of my Visa cards and noticed the different styles of holograms  for Visa network cards.

I did a little searching about this and found this article from 2020:  Dove Hologram VISA.

The four types of security features for Visa are the:

1) Standard Dove

2) Mini Dove 

3) Silhouetted Dove

4) No Dove - PVBM. (PVBM has built-in anti-counterfeiting security features that has surpassed the dove hologram.)

Issuers are allowed to use up existing inventory of whatever version that have stocked.   I noticed that my PNC Points has the Mini, my NFCU Flagship has the Silhouetted while my USB cards have the PVBM.   Personally, I like the silhouetted the best and prefer Visa's security emblem to Mastercard's interlocked globes.   It appears that emblems for Discover and Amex are no longer used today...

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Interesting! Only my Visa Debit Cards have the Dove. All my Credit Cards are bare of said hologram.

[Varsity_Lu]

If I remember correctly those holograms were from the days when the embossed numbers were transferred to a carbon paper charge slip via rolling machine. They didn't use the magnetic strip for instant approval, they had to mail the charge slip in and get a check. The holo was to prevent fraud and ensure the card was genuine.

[KatzNDawgs]

I haven't thought about these in ages! I remember decades ago I had some with the dove holo in the square on the front. None of mine now do. I have a little "graveyard" of expired cards I saved the past few years - while all are new enough for the chip on them, some still do have front embossed digits that could go in an old-school paper swiper and all those have the mini holo square on back. The newer ones with no embossed and just printed numbers on back have the silhouetted dove on back (which I find prettier), including my newest from 2024 (NFCU CashRewards).

[ptatohed]

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@Varsity_Lu wrote:

If I remember correctly those holograms were from the days when the embossed numbers were transferred to a carbon paper charge slip via rolling machine. They didn't use the magnetic strip for instant approval, they had to mail the charge slip in and get a check. The holo was to prevent fraud and ensure the card was genuine.

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My Dad used to sell 'knuckle busters' to businesses!  

[mxp114]

They also used to display the first four digits of the account number under the embossed one; for a while, we had holographic magnetic stripe/tape on the cards, which I liked, and the last four digits of the account number were printed in the signature panel. Mastercards also embossed a small MC icon near the expiry date. There is also the rare Visa Infinite Dove hologram, which was never issued in the US because VI arrived years after those design guidelines were suspended. 

[alocksley]

Interesting. . .and very observant!

My Chase sapphire (not preferred) visa doesn't have a hologram.  Just the words "VISA" in silver. It's a cheapie no AF card.