Financial transactions have been tracked on paper documents like checks and various types of notes for hundreds of years. Our obsession with money makes it easy to miss the historical, archaeological and artistic value that checks can provide. This article will present a brief look at the world of artistic checks as more than just a simple bank balance transfer record.
The History of Artistic Checks
Money has been decorated with art since currencies first came into wide use. Cultures around the globe have commissioned artwork to emblazon their coins, treasury notes and bank checks with symbols of beauty and meaning.
An excellent example would be the famous check used by the United States to pay Russia for the purchase of the state of Alaska in 1869. Featuring two stunning hand cut lithographs this artistic check is now a valuable piece of history in it’s own right. It’s doubtful whether any of our modern electronic fund transfers will be as useful in providing such a beautiful glimpse of history.
Artistic Checks Have More Value
The reason that checks and other money have been decorated with art is simple: art increases the perceived value. Imagine a blank piece of paper scribbled with a promise to pay an amount as compared with a properly printed artistic check. Which one would give you more confidence in the financial transaction?
It has been a long time since governments and banks created money and checks that had any real value. Therefore, artwork and symbols are used to create a sense of trust in the value of the person or country backing the check or note.
Artistic Checks as Fraud Protection
Fraud protection is another important aspect of artistic checks. Banks use artistic markings to make checks and other financial notes much more difficult to reproduce or forge. Three important security features are:
- A watermark or other semi-transparent marks which only become visible if the check is held up to the light. They are specially created by an artist so they will not be reproduced easily if the check is copied.
- Holograms are little images etched into metallic foil. They contain what appears to be an artistic 3-D picture which is visible only when held at a certain angle.
- Micro printing is a special creative check printing technique that prints words in what look to the naked eye as simple lines making up an image on the check. Then when these lines are viewed with a magnifying tool, you can read the words.
Modern Artistic Checks
In the last few years, check styles have begun to transcend bank sponsored security prevention markings to the realm of personal expression. Now everyone can create a style of artistic checks which suits their personality and interests. There are companies that specialize in the production of artistic checks, purely to give consumers the choice of thousands of ways to express their personality and interests on their bank checks.
This article is a brief history of the decoration, both practical and purely aesthetic, which is found on bank checks and money in general. Hopefully it will allow you to appreciate the history of and see new possibilities the next time you’re writing or receiving a personal check.
