Weird Universe tells us that in 1932, the Lincoln Electric Company (which is apparently still in business) conducted a national essay writing competition about arc welding. The winners received a total of $17,500 in prize money that was distributed on checks. Those checks didn't bounce--perhaps because they were made of steel.
The first prize went to two naval officers named Homer N. Wallin and Henry A. Schade who later achieved fame for their naval engineering work during World War II. Their check measured two feet long and was inscribed with a blowtorch. They endorsed on the back in the same fashion. The bank marked the check as cleared by shooting bullet holes through it.
Photo: Smithsonian Institution