History of the Paymaster Corp., Part I: Checks and Balances Back Row: Leona Poterske, Gert Nicholas, and Dorothy Wagner. First row from left: Alma Danowski, Pernia Kapellusch, and Barbara Regert. Linson, Tumbling Department, 1964īottom Right: Machine Operators, 1960.
Left to Right: John Czarnik, Stanley Kwiatek, Charles Overly, Gene Blum, Frank Koy, Leroy Holm, Thaddeus Superson, and Edward Guth.īottom Center: J. In rear from left: Earl Wise, Kaz Okimoto, Eva Rivers, Henry Schalk, John Carlson, Marie Waugh, Clarence Featherkile, Charlotte Mayer, Gene Freeman, Geraldine Schrankel.īottom Left: Tool Room, 1968. First row from left: Al Thompson, Sam DeFrancisco, Harriet Block, Tilly Terry, Beatrice Felde, Marie White, and ‘The Boss’ George Tucker.
Left to Right: Mary Westerberg, Bernice Cawlik, Rita McDermott, Mary Tsuruda, Joe Puncochar, Stella Zelasko, Beverly Hubert, and Martha Sandberg. Top Left: Assembly Department Inspectors, 1965. Workers at the Paymaster factory, 1811 W. Each of those machines was manufactured at Paymaster’s Chicago factory, produced by a dedicated workforce that excelled and bonded with one another in the face of an often unsympathetic, union-busting executive board. The biggest name in the business after WWII, however, was the Paymaster Corporation, whose army of freelance salesmen helped put new models like the X-550 in offices from Fort Bragg, California to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There were several large national manufacturers of check writers (aka check protectors), including Chicago’s Hedman MFG Co., makers of the F&E Check Writer. 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. 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.ĭevices 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. Only, instead of storing cash in it, this magical machine produced its own money. 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.
“The only way to have the Paymaster system when you NEED it is to have one all the time-NOW!” - tagline from 1951 Paymaster sales manual
Museum Artifact: Paymaster Series X-550 Check Writer Machine, 1960s