Here’s a story that would delight any of us…finding a valuable item kept hidden under wraps for decades.
Librarian Candace Guite assisted John van Whye, a bye-fellow at Christ’s College in Cambridge UK and director of The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online in opening up a framed signed photograph of the naturalist himself.
Van Whye said: “During visits to the Old Library I was curious to know if this signature was just a scrap of paper cut from a letter, or if it was written on a document still preserved, though sealed inside the frame.” A previously undiscovered cheque from the Union Bank of London, made out by Darwin to self for ;£100 on March, 21 1872 was hidden behind the photo.
Never again
That could never happen again because I don’t think any banks return cancelled cheques anymore.
BTW he wrote the check on a Thursday.
Re:Never again
“I don’t think any banks return cancelled cheques anymore.”
Really? I suppose you could say Washington Mutual is something other than a bank, but those little pieces of paper in the mail each month surely look like cancelled checks to me…
Re:Never again
I always liked the cancelled checks. It completed the circle of financial instrument life for me. Now I can look at images on the computer, it is not the same.
However I can also scan in deposits. I have to go to my bank’s website and scan in the front and back of the endorded check but it is credited right away (well up to $5K and I get few checks like that). They call it Deposit@Home. After your deposit is accepted you just destroy the check. Simply amazing if you ask me.