Travelers Checks
Travelers checks were a common form of currency years ago for the international traveler. Credit cards were less frequently used and often difficult or expensive to use overseas.
I stopped using them at least twenty years ago but I ended up with a small collection of them that I never used or cashed. A couple of times I inquired to various financial institutions since arriving back in Canada but none would accept them.
Most of the checks in my possession were issued by American Express. One, shown above, was from a bank where I first had an account in Japan. The Sanwa Bank (株式会社三和銀行) was a major Japanese bank headquartered in Osaka, which operated from 1933 to 2002. It merged with Tokai Bank to form UFJ Bank (now part of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ). In the 1990s, it was the most profitable bank in the world, and second-largest in terms of assets behind its eventual merger partner Tokyo-Mitsubishi.
This week I made one final attempt to cash the remaining checks. My main bank, HSBC, refused them but suggested I try one of the Canadian banks in the area. Having an account at TD Canada Trust, I started there. The (very) young woman at the bank looked at the TC with amazement. I don't think she had ever seen one. I gave her some time to make some calls and consult with the branch manager while I did some grocery shopping next door.
In the end, all of the checks except the Sanwa Bank-issued check were accepted and deposited into my account. I plan to roll and smoke the remaining twenty dollars.
