IMPROVED MEANS FOR PREVENTING FRAUDULENT ALTERATIONS IN BANKERS' CHEQUES AND OTHER LIKE MONETARY INSTRUMENTS OR DOCUMENTS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Stanfield, of New Quay, in the County
of Cornwall, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS FOR PREVENTING
FRAUDULENT ALTERATIONS IN BANKERS' CHEQUES AND OTHER LIKE MONETARY
INSTRUMENTS OR DOCUMENTS."
Sealed the 14th October 1873, and dated the 27th May 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederic Stanfield at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 27th May 1873.
I, FREDERIC STANFIELD, of New Quay, in the County of Cornwall,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS
FOR PREVENTING FRAUDULENT ALTERATIONS IN BANKERS' CHEQUES AND OTHER LIKE
MONETARY INSTRUMENTS OR DOCUMENTS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improved means for preventing the
fraudulent alteration of bankers' cheques and other like monetary instru-
ments or documents. For this purpose, according to my improve-
ments, I perforate each cheque or other similar document with numbers,
characters, cyphers, letters, or otherwise, so as to represent the limit of
value which such cheque or document represents, and my improvements

page_text: consist of so disposing of the perforations that no additions or alterations
can be made therein without detection.
For this purpose, according to my Invention, I perforate the limit of
value the cheque or other monetary document is intended to represent
in Roman figures or otherwise between two perforated lines, or other
perforated stops or enclosures, so that it is impossible to add any figure
to the amount.
I also in some cases perforate under such perforated Roman or other
figures and lines or stops the equivalent in English figures or characters,
and, if desired, either the one or the other, or both, may be employed.
In carrying out my improvements a set of perforating figures from
0 to 10, such as are well known for other purposes, may be employed,
and the Roman figures or charactors I., V., X., L., C., D., M., by which,
any combination of such figures can be made; or each perforating stamp
may be arranged to represent any required value.
Cyphers, or characters, and letters only known to the users may also
ha amplared for the nurnosne of my Invention if dosined
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederic Stanfield in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th October 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERIC
STANFIELD, of New Quay, in the County of Cornwall, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Frederic Stanfield, Her special
license that I, the said Frederic Stanfield, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederic Stanfield, my executors
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the

page_text: Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS
FOR PREVENTING FRAUDULENT ALTERATIONS IN BANKERS' CHEQUES AND OTHER LIKE
MONETARY INSTRUMENTS OR DOCUMENTS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Frederic Stanfield, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing, under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederic Stanfield, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
porformed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
-
This Invention has for its object improved means for proventing the
fraudulent alteration of bankers' cheques and other like monetary instru-
ments or documents. For this purpose, according to my improvements,
I perforate or permanently mark each cheque or other similar document
(and its counterfoil) with numbers, characters, cyphers, letters, or other-
wise, so as to represent the limit of value which such cheque or document
represents, and my improvements consist in so disposing of the per-
forations and indicated values that no additions or alterations can be
made therein without detection.
According to my Invention I perforate or otherwise indicate the limit
of value the cheque or other monetary document is intended to represent
in Roman figures or otherwise between two perforated lines or other
stops, so that it is impossible to add any figure to the amount.
I also in some cases perforate under such perforated Roman or other
figures, and lines or stops, the equivalent in English figures or characters,
and, if desired, either the one or the other, or both, may be employed.
In carrying out my improvements a set of perforating figures from
0 to 10, such as are well known for other purposes, may be employed,
and the Roman figures or characters I., V., X., L., C., D., M., by which any
combination of such figures can be made; or each perforating stamp may
be arranged to represent any required value; or cheques may be crossed,
perforated, water lined, or printed, as herein-after described.

page_text: Cyphers, or characters, and letters only known to the users may also
be employed for the purposes of my Invention if desired.
And in order that my Invention may be clearly understood and readily
carried into practice, I will proceed to describe the series of examples of
bankers' cheques and their counterfoils for the prevention of fraud in 5
accordance with my improvements, as represented in the two Sheets of
Drawings herounts annexed
DESCRIPTION
THE DRAWINGO.
The cheque represented by Figure 1 should be torn off at the per-
forated line a if the cheque is drawn for a sum under £10; at b, if under
£100; at c, if under £1000, thus leaving the larger amount attached
to the counterfoil in the cheque book, and writing the exact amount
of X., C., or M's. required between the perforated lines as represented.
The cheque represented by Figure 2 is intended to be torn off at the
perforated lines marked in red, leaving on the counterfoil the amounts
of each denomination exceeding the amounts required to represent the
value of the cheque. In the X.'s (tens), 50 being required, the III., I., I.
are left in and cast up, making 50, or 5 X.'s (tens). If required, the
perforated divisions could be made smaller, and the units could be
represented in like manner.
The cheque represented by Figure 3 is to be torn off at the red line,
leaving all the smaller figures on the cheque between the perforations up
to the amounts required, the larger ones remaining attached to the
counterfoil in cheque book.
In the cheque represented by Figure 4 the larger figures of cach
denomination between perforations are to be torn out of cheque and
destroyed, viz., those included within red line, the remaining figures
between perforations shewing the amount intended for the cheque when
drawn. In representing the C. and X.'s (tens) it would be advisable in
practice to let the figures run from left to right, thus, I., II., III., IV.,
V., VI., VII., VIII., IX., X.; the cheque would then have a piece
taken off each corner and would appear thus
IHIY
NY
In the cheque represented by Figure 5 all figures on the right of red
line between perforations would remain on cheque, and those to the left
would main attached to contrafail m

page_text: 9990 were required, all the figures would be left on cheque. In this
instance also, if desired, another set of figures representing the units
could be employed.
The cheque represented by Figure 6 is intended for small cheques not
5 exceeding £10. For instance, suppose a cheque for £6 190 was
required, being under £7 the cheque would be torn off at the perforated
line marked in red, and in like manner for any other amount.
Another design could also be employed, similarly perforated, repre-
senting 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, the number of perforations
> being the same, and one straight tear would be all that would be
required.
In the cheque represented by Figure 7 the divisions, figures 1 to 9,
and Roman letters M., C., X., I., are to be printed, water lined, per-
forated, or otherwise indicated on the cheques, being subdivided into
nine squares, and the writing commencing under the square of the figure
intended to be written; for instance, on the unit line under figure 7
begin writing the "seven." The star or dashes made with the pen
render any attempt at alteration almost impossible to succeed. This
cheque is to be torn off at usual perforated line.
In example Figure 8 the circles are to be perforated; Roman figures
to be printed, water lined, or otherwise indicated. In practice, the next
largest figure to the one intended to be represented to be forced out with
the end of a penholder or otherwise. For the amount indicated the
circles marked in red would be taken or punched out.
In example Figure 9 the Roman figures and lines are to be printed,
water lined, perforated, or otherwise indicated, and on each line corre-
sponding to the figures on left-hand side the amount to be written
under the respective denominations. In case of fraudulent alterations,
say, of the 3 hundred to 5 hundred, the 3 would not only have to be
scratched out, but the 5 could not be writien over the part erased, but
must be written 2 lines lower down, viz., on the 5th line.
In example Figure 10 the characters are to be printed, water lined, or
perforated. The word nil, or any other manner of effectually effacing
the figures not required may be adopted. In the foregoing the I. in
the M.'s only appears; the III. in the C.'s; and the III., I., I.=5, in
the X. The units, if desired, could be shewn in like manner.

page_text: In example Figure 11 the letters O, T, F, S, E, N, are to be printed,
perforated, water lined, or otherwise indicated, and the amount written
in different colored ink; say, if the cheque is printed in light blue, then
the amount written in black would be visible at a glance. In the fore-
going, should there be no thousands, then the N would form the first
letter of nil, and so forth for the hundred and ten. The T would
commence either two or three, and in like manner the F would com-
mence the four or five.
In example Figure 12 the limit of value which the cheque is intended
to represent is perforated or otherwise marked thereon, either in plain
figures, Roman characters, or both, placed between perforated lines or
surrounded by perforations, so that no increased value can be added
thereto without detection.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing or carrying the same into practice, I would have it under-
stood that I do not intend to limit my claim to the exact details herein-
before described, so long as the main features or character of my
Invention is retained; but what I claim is, the improved means of
preventing the fraudulent alteration of bankers' cheques and other like
monetary instruments or documents, substantially in the manner herein-
before described and represented with reference to Figures or Examples
1 to 12 of the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederic Stanfield, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
T
CATTTTAI TA