Description:

Pyle Ernie 1900 - 1945 PSA/DNA Certified Gem 10 Ernie Pyle endorsed check



This unnumbered check, issued from the Union Trust Company Bank in Washington, DC on November 5, 1930 in the amount of 12 Dollars, was made payable to J. Shelly Charles and authorized by account holder Ernest T. Pyle, whose signature appears at lower right. The uniform cream check depicts a green printed image of the bank at center haloed by a round District of Columbia watermark behind it. The check, partly punched out "Paid", also bears red stamps verso indicating that the check was redeemed six days later. J. Shelly Charles's signature appears at the top of the check verso. The check measures 6.25" x 2.5" and is in very fine condition, still showing perforation marks at left where it was torn out of the check book. The PSA/DNA certified slab measures 9.5" x 4.5".

Ernest Taylor Pyle (1900-1945) aka Ernie Pyle was a hardscrabble journalist who gave his life to reporting the news. He was born in Indiana, and served as a teenager in the United States Navy Reserve for three months until Armistice. Pyle dropped out of Indiana University to accept his first work as a journalist at a LaPorte, Indiana newspaper until his relocation to Washington, DC where he served as a tabloid reporter. In the mid-1920s, Pyle and his wife Geraldine "Jerry" Siebolds drove 9,000 miles around the United States in a Ford roadster, meeting people and seeing places that would eventually figure in Pyle's 1935-1941 reporting of Depression life in rural America.

Around the time that he wrote this check, Pyle was serving as an aviation columnist at the Washington Daily News. The recipient of the check, J. Shelly Charles (1900-1959), worked as an Eastern Airlines pilot, stuntman, and airplane racer. Pyle must have met Charles while covering his beat at airfields, airports, and country shows.

During World War II, Pyle served as a war correspondent, writing many articles and books on the American military experience. His gritty on-the-ground coverage of Allied efforts in the European, Pacific, and North African theaters won him the Pulitzer Prize. On April 18, 1945, Pyle was traveling by jeep when he was shot in the left temple by machine gun fire at Iejima, Japan. He was buried in his battle helmet between two other servicemen. President Harry S. Truman said, "No man in this war has so well told the story of the American fighting man as American fighting men wanted it told." It seems fitting that Pyle was interred next to the military personnel whose experiences he had related with such frankness and sympathy.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 20% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000