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 Replies: 14 / Views: 5,621 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1118 Posts |
Hello everyone. Ever wonder what you can get for free if you just ask nicely? Tonight as I wait for the new "Law & Order SVU" to come on I decided to write to some banks and ask them if they could spare cheques for my collection.
So far I sent off two emails. I will post the emails I sent off here and post follow ups as they come.
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Hello I.O.R. ,
My name is T***** S*****. I am a young man of 21 living in a small town in New Brunswick, Canada. The reason I am writing you tonight is to ask if your bank issues cheques.
I collect coins, tokens and stamps from New Brunswick and around the world. After looking at a 1984 Papal visit medal from Moncton, New Brunswick and a cheque from the same area I got the idea to track down a Vatican cheque.
If you do issue cheques I was wonder how to go about acquiring a cancelled one? Would you be willing to sell me one of even mail me an old one you just have laying around?
I am sure you are busy running your country's bank but if you have time to write back to me I would be pleased.
Yours in Christ,
T***** S*****
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Hello Saint Pierre et Miquelon Tourism,
My name is T***** S*****. I am a young man of 21 from New Brunswick, Canada.
I have always romanticized your island since I was young. Sadly I have never been there (yet) but my Newfoundland Grandfather and my Folklore professor at Cape Breton University talked about it with such a passion.
In addition to being fascinated with your island I am also a huge coin collector. I have picked up franc coins and paper money from your island. I do not however have a cheque from Saint Pierre.
I could not find a specific name of any banks on your island from the books I have on the subject but I know there is at least one bank on the island. If your bank issues cheques I was wondering how I would go about getting an example of one? Even a cancelled one.
Working in a local library/art gallery I often get asked about the French connection in Canada from American tourists. I always work in the history of Saint Pierre et Miquelon, Vichy France and the only time a guillotine was used in North America. If you could help me acquire a cheque from your bank I will bring it to many coin clubs and shows across Atlantic Canada and in a way work as tourism agent for your island.
Thank you for your time. Merci beaucoup
T***** S*****
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I can't wait to check my emails tomorrow after work!
Anyone ever do anything like this?
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4587 Posts |
Current checks? With somebody's account # on them? Seems a bit off...
-----Burton 50+ year / Life / Emeritus ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, EveryCountry (online) coin club Owned by three cats and a wife of 40+ years (joined 1983) Author: 3rd Edition of the Sample Slabs book, https://www.sampleslabs.info/ |
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
1118 Posts |
I never even thought of that. I did say cancelled cheques. Hopefully I won't end up on a watch list.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6370 Posts |
You can always send a follow-up email saying never mind.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4587 Posts |
I don't think you will end up on a watch list. I would expect a polite reply saying that for the privacy and security of our customers we can't provide you with one. However, if you open an account, for a small fee, we can return YOUR checks to you :-). After all, this is Canada we are talking about (e.g. https://notalwaysright.com/category/canada)In the US, real paper checks are few & far between these days, because of a law called "Check 21", most merchants convert the paper check to an electronic payment at the point of sale and then discard it. About the only real check is when Mom sends you one for your Birthday (Mom != PayPal). -----Burton 50+ year / Life / Emeritus ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, EveryCountry (online) coin club Owned by three cats and a wife of 40+ years (joined 1983) Author: 3rd Edition of the Sample Slabs book, https://www.sampleslabs.info/ |
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Moderator
 United States
187446 Posts |
Quote:
Hopefully I won't end up on a watch list. It is probably too late.  Let us know how it goes. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
4227 Posts |
I've known collectors who will write individual companies asking them to issue them a cheque with their logo on it for a nominal amount (e.g. one dollar or one cent) and offer to pay for it and return postage.
Regarding the above request, you may get one of them to send one of their counter cheques, but I can't see much else happening.
Good luck.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
606 Posts |
Meh. If you are not already on a watch list then you are doing something wrong. lol
Really cool idea though! That would make for some interesting displays.
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
It's likely that you will have a fair percentage that don't reply, even though your letter is informative. As has been mentioned, the security of having the banks tracking number alone would probably preclude them from supplying that to anyone without an account.
You might get a reply if you send enough of them, but I'm thinking the time involved will not give you much of a return.
There's plenty of places to buy old checks (sorry, my spell checker won't let me put a q in checks).
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4587 Posts |
Besides there is the old joke, somebody wrote the (US) FBI asking if there was a file on them and the reply came back "Now there is".
I was able to get most of my friends and family on the watch lists when I nicknamed my cat Y. Pestus...
-----Burton 50+ year / Life / Emeritus ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, EveryCountry (online) coin club Owned by three cats and a wife of 40+ years (joined 1983) Author: 3rd Edition of the Sample Slabs book, https://www.sampleslabs.info/ |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12804 Posts |
Quote:
Meh. If you are not already on a watch list then you are doing something wrong. lol haha - very true. Live a little!  |
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
10743 Posts |
Good luck.!..if you think banks will do that, maybe back 30/40 years ago.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1118 Posts |
Haha, I was thinking about making a joke about me being on multiple watch lists already. I fell on some ice and cracked they old noggin I did. Now that I am concussion free I checked my emails and no banks got back to me. It was worth a shot though, eh? Quote:
I've known collectors who will write individual companies asking them to issue them a cheque with their logo on it for a nominal amount (e.g. one dollar or one cent) and offer to pay for it and return postage. That is what gift card collectors do, buy a card for $2. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1118 Posts |
Quote:
Dear Mister Ma,
My name is T**** S***** from Woodstock/Hartland, New Brunswick. I am also a cheque collector.
I live in Woodstock as my grandfather briefly moved here to open up our local Co-Op. He worked for Co-Op all his life and opened many stores across Canada. His souvenirs of his time managing the Arviat, Nunavut Co-Op are some of his most prized possessions.
I recently learned the Canadian Payment Association allow cheques to be written in English, French and Inuktitut. Naturally being from New Brunswick cheques in English and French are quiet common. Sadly I have never seen Inuktitut syllabics grace a financial document.
I was wondering if you could make out a cheque to me for 50 cents in Inuktitut so I could add one to my collection. I would be more then happy to make out a cheque to you from my credit union to pay you back, cover mailing costs and give you your own cheque.
I know this is probably one of the more odd requests you have received but if you have time to get back to me it would mean a lot.
Thank you for your time,
T**** S*****. I got back a message 3 days ago, here is a small segment from his email. Quote:
I would like to help add to your collection, but I don't think that NBCC can print cheques in Inuktitut. However, I will confirm with our Finance folks when they return from leave later this week. Here is hoping! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4587 Posts |
If that doesn't work - and it might - try and find a school address in one of the First Nation's communities.
I'm betting a teacher would LOVE a project having to do with the Banking system (here in the USA, Junior Achievement runs programs for elementary schools - teaching about money, banks, commerce, etc.)
And if all it takes is somebody writing a $0.50 check - for which they get paid back and it never gets cashed anyway - that's a cheap lesson.
-----Burton 50+ year / Life / Emeritus ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, EveryCountry (online) coin club Owned by three cats and a wife of 40+ years (joined 1983) Author: 3rd Edition of the Sample Slabs book, https://www.sampleslabs.info/ |
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Replies: 14 / Views: 5,621 |
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Posted 03/02/2016 8:49 pm
