Abstract: An apparatus for reading a series of magnetic characters on a bank check is herein disclosed. The characters are preprinted in a certain way within a predetermined area of the check. Also, the characters within the series of characters may be any character from a predetermined group of characters. The apparatus includes a housing which defines a specific path through which the check, oriented in a predetermined way, is intended to pass. The housing supports a magnetic read head for sensing the magnetic characters on the check as it passes through the apparatus and for producing an electrical signal unique to each character. The housing also supports automatically moving the check through the path defined by the housing at a speed which is intended to be constant but which may vary randomly within a certain tolerance. This moving of the check through the apparatus produces the electrical signals as the characters move past the read head.