Museum Artifact: Paymaster Series X-900  Check Writer Machine, 1962
Made By: The Paymaster Corp., 1811 W. Winnemac Ave., Chicago, IL [Ravenswood]
Perfect Condition and works!! One Top Button Gone I do not know where the key went while moving one year!
 
Often kept well out of sight in the backrooms of banks and the HR departments of small businesses, the nearly 15-pound Paymaster X-550 Check Writer had the heft and durability of a small burglary safe. Only, instead of storing cash in it, this magical machine produced its own money . . . in a manner of speaking. As the name would suggest, a pull of the Paymaster’s handle activated an internal pressure bar and ink rollers, which then stamped down the monetary value (selected via the levers under “DOLLARS” and “CENTS”) on to an inserted blank check.
Devices like this were the integral conduits through which millions of paychecks and billions of dollars were distributed to workers for much of the mid-to-late 20th century. They were also the best friend of the business owner, as the tiny pin-point perforations the machine created in each check offered a useful defense against fraudsters.