Description:

William McKinley
[Washington, D.C.], May 6, 1882
Super Rare William McKinley Signed Sergeant-At-Arms Check With Fabulous Provenance!
DS

A super rare check boldly signed by William McKinley (1843-1901), then a U.S. Congressman from Ohio and future 25th U.S. President, as "Wm McKinley Jr." on the signature line. May 6, 1882. [Washington, D.C.] McKinley has inscribed the check with approximately 11 additional words: the amount due, in both written and numerical form; the person to be paid ("Myself"); and part of the date. The unnumbered "Counter Check" drawn from accounts held by the Sergeant-At-Arms of the U.S. House of Representatives was issued to himself in the amount of $217.30. Bearing a blue date-docketed hand-stamp reading "May 6, 1882 / Office of Sergeant at Arms / House of Rep's" at upper left. Pencil-inscribed near lower center. Bearing a T-shaped cancellation mark at center. A contemporaneous ink smear affects a few letters of a few words. Expected wear including even toning. Minor mounting traces located in three of four check corners. Else very good. 7.375" x 2.875." Accompanied by fabulous provenance information which will be elaborated below. With a PSA/DNA LOA and COA from RR Auctions.

William McKinley signed checks are extremely rare; University Archives has only handled under three examples during the last decade of running our monthly auctions! McKinley signed as "McKinley Jr." until the death of his father, William McKinley, Sr. (1807-1892).

William McKinley served two stints as a U.S. Congressman from Ohio, the first between 1877-1884, and the second between 1885-1891, during which time he represented four different constituencies. In 1891, he lobbied for the 16th and 17th districts. McKinley's time in the House of Representatives garnered him over a decade of political experience before becoming Governor of Ohio in 1892, and U.S. President in 1897.

As a U.S. Congressman, McKinley had access to a great perk: the House Bank administered by the Sergeant-At-Arms. This was a free banking service (mostly comprised of check-cashing and check-writing) offered to members of the House of Representatives, and drawn from accounts linked to their congressional payrolls.

Provenance

The McKinley signed check is accompanied by a business card belonging to a merchant in Columbus, Ohio named James P. Gallaher, who has inscribed on the verso: "Dr C.C. Ross - The checks signed by Wm McKinley Jr were given me by his Father in the year 1890 at Canton O. Yours tc J.P. Gallaher." Please note: Only one McKinley check is offered in this lot.

The check is also accompanied by:

1. A Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA Authentication Services (Newport Beach, California), Ref: 3161805, dated January 2008.

2. A Certificate of Authenticity from RR Auctions (Amherst, New Hampshire), number 3161805.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Provenance: PSA/DNA LOA and COA from RR Auctions.
  • Dimensions: 7.375" x 2.875"
  • Medium: DS

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April 23, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
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Bid Increments
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$100 $299 $20
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$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