Serial number
A number that increments with each use, so one impression can be told from another.
A serial makes impressions traceable rather than interchangeable. Without one, a stamp is the same mark every time and nothing distinguishes the copy from the original.
A counter is only as trustworthy as the thing holding it. One kept in a browser will not repeat a number on that device but knows nothing about any other; one kept in a database under a row lock cannot hand the same number to two people at once.
Related terms
- Digital stamp: A stamp that exists as an image file, placed onto a document on screen rather than pressed onto paper.