Guaranty Trust Company of New York check, 6.5 x 2.75, filled out and signed by Fitzgerald, "F. Scott Fitzgerald," payable to Collector of Internal Revenue for $332.80, December 15, 1930. Encapsulated in a plastic PSA/DNA authentication holder. In fine condition, with old tape residue along the sides, not affecting any of the handwriting. Fitzgerald finished writing one of his greatest short stories, 'Babylon Revisited,' in December 1930, which was first published in the Saturday Evening Post on February 21, 1931. His short stories accounted for most of his income at this time—in 1930 he reported a total earnings of $33,090.10, with seven Post stories accounting for $25,300. Despite his relative wealth for a Depression-era American, Fitzgerald's luxurious lifestyle and the mental illness of his wife Zelda took a toll on his finances. Zelda was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1930, and her 15-month stay at a Swiss sanitarium from 1930-1931 cost $13,000. Under ever increasing financial pressure, Fitzgerald turned to the 'degrading' craft of screenwriting later in the 1930s, which proved to be his most lucrative years. Fitzgerald checks are exceedingly scarce—this is the first we have ever encountered—and, representing his finances during a trying time in his life and career, this is an immensely desirable example.
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