Whether you collect stamps or ephemera, bank checks are the perfect crossover collectible. Why collect?
• Revenue Stamps — Most of the checks in our inventory bear 2¢ revenue stamps paying Civil War and Spanish-American War era bank check taxes (2¢ per check). These are found under the Revenue Stamped Paper menu.
• Historical — Every check is a slice of early American life, used to pay for everyday things as well as for exchanges of tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• Period Cursive Penmanship
• Many Illustrated with Beautiful Vignettes
“Checks” as we use the term also includes other kinds of financial instruments printed on check-sized paper such as bank drafts, promissory notes (IOUs), and certain kinds of 19th-century receipts.
And by the way, we also stock checks without revenue stamps but which have great graphics or issued from historic locations. These are located under the Ephemera menu.
Collect By
• Revenue Stamp Type: For the stamp collector there are 16 basic types of imprinted 2¢ revenue stamps found on checks (RN-A to RN-O, and RN-X) plus sub-varieties, inverts, and rarities. We also stock checks with adhesive revenues.
• City or State: Some people collect checks from specific states, or from banks located in their home town. You can also acquire checks bearing the names of US Territories such as Montana, Dakota, or Colorado Territories, before they were admitted to the Union.
• Business or Industry: Agriculture, Railroad, Manufacturing, Finance, etc. Checks from mining operations in the Old West are a popular collecting niche.
• Vignette: Nautical, Railroad, Patriotic, Animals, Natural Scenery, Buildings, etc.
This field is wide open for topical collecting based on the type of vignette or business.
But these are just suggestions. When it comes to collecting checks there are no rules. One L.A. Philatelics customer only collects checks payable in Gold or Silver. Another customer collects checks with nautically-themed vignettes. Collect what you like, the way you like!