dkw (01/09/83)
The classic case concerning what constitutes a check is Board of Inland Revenue v. Haddock. Mr. Haddock presented the collector of taxes with a cow on which he had written " To the London and Literary Bank, Ltd. Pay to the Collector of Taxes, who is no gentleman, or Order, the sum of fifty-seven pounds (amd may he rot!) The court enquired whether the cow bore the required stamp, and after being reassured that the stamp was affixed to the dexter horn, ruled that the cow was in fact a good faith attempt to pay, ( ie that it was indeed negotiable). The case was originally reported in @u(Punch) in the late 20's and reprinted in A.P. Herbert's marvelous book @i(Uncommon Law) (1936)
smb (01/11/83)
I've seen, in some money museum or other (this was many years ago, incidentally), a check "written" on a large piece of metal. The bank cancelled it with a submachine gun -- they had a security guard "write" PAID (or some such) across it.