System and method for producing and verifying secure negotiable instruments

The present invention relates to producing and presenting negotiable instruments and, more specifically, to printing and presenting checks, which are resistant to forgery or fraud. The negotiable instrument comprises a numeric sequence printed in MICR font upside down across the top face of the negotiable instrument for electronic reading by a MICR reader. The numeric sequence provides for authentication of the payee name and the payment amount by a secure authentication server.