Know Your Check

Whether you’re using the regular bank variety or personalized printings with attractive designs, checks share specific characteristics that most people probably don’t even pay notice to.  Beyond the bland bank drafts and Disney check designs, there are several things about your checks that might be interesting to note.

Do you know checks have been around for thousands of years?  In fact, they were introduced as negotiable instruments by the Romans as early as 1 BC.  While their exact implementation may have been different from ours, there’s little doubt they were used as bills of exchange.

At their core, checks are instruments that you use to transfer money, without having the physical bills at hand.  While not as convenient as today’s more digital trading options (such as Paypal), they continue to stay relevant for the variety of functions they allow.

Both stock bank designs and personalized checks feature several important pieces information, including the place it was issued, the issuer’s signature, the name of the receiving party, the amount transacted (in numbers and in words) and the date of issue.  Additionally, it includes information for internal use by the banks, such as the check identification number and a routing number.

Whether you bought your check from a bank or from a private printer, they are considered legal drafts and are valid for use in financial transactions.  They’re one of the few financial sheets you can outfit with as much of your personality, without rendering them invalid.  As such, personalized checks with unusual designs continued to experience a surge in popularity.