These original 1919 Chicago Cubs payroll checks are a remarkable window into the early days of professional baseball. Each check was issued by the "Chicago National League Ball Club" and signed by then-team treasurer and part-owner, William Veeck Sr. (father of legendary baseball promoter Bill Veeck Jr.). These documents are not just financial records — they are pieces of baseball history, showing the operations of one of MLB’s oldest and most storied franchises during a pivotal era. The year 1919 is especially notable in baseball lore, remembered most for the infamous Black Sox Scandal — though the Cubs were not directly involved, it reflects how much the game was evolving both on and off the field. A cool fact: William Veeck Sr. would later become the president of the Cubs and was instrumental in building the team's first Wrigley Field traditions, including the famed ivy on the outfield walls. Holding a check like this is like holding a day in the life of early big-league baseball.