Lot 1005: Lefty Williams and Charles Comiskey 1919 Signed Chicago Black Sox Payroll Check

Encapsulated with Autograph Grade NM-MT+ 8.5 by PSA/DNA. Yet another principal added to the ranks of conspirator, Missouri-born Claude "Lefty" Williams, though reluctant at first, played perhaps the most damaging role in disgracing the 1919 Chicago White Sox. A roommate of Shoeless Joe Jackson, Williams was (like his co-habitant) inarticulate. When approached by teammate and plot ringleader Chick Gandil, Williams was reportedly uninterested. But after being told that the fix was on, with or without him (along with further consideration of the promised sum of $10,000), Williams was, indeed, on board. Offered here is a decidedly lesser cash allotment for Williams - a Chicago White Sox payroll check issued to the moody southpaw during that infamous 1919 campaign. Drawn on the ChiSox team account at Chicago's "DROVERS BANK" in the amount of "$250.00," this green-colored document is dated "7/3 - 1919" and made out to "C Williams." Signed in the appropriate spot by miserly team owner Charles Comiskey, the voucher is endorsed on the reverse by Williams. While many accounts differ as to what players were or weren't in on throwing the series, Williams had indisputable involvement. His 0-3 series mark and 6.63 ERA were most incongruous when one considers his 23-11 regular-season mark. Though Williams received only half of what he had been promised, the $5,000 "reward" was still nearly twice the amount of his paltry $2,600 annual salary. The item shows normal cancelation stampings and "PAID" punchings, none of which affect these magnificent signatures. LOA from Steve Grad & Zach Rullo/PSA DNA and LOA from James Spence Authentication.