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2 Dollars Corporation of Richmond
| Issuer | Corporation of Richmond |
|---|---|
| Year | 1861 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 174 × 80 mm |
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| Obverse description | Pale red underprint throughout. At left, a vertical decorative panel bears a vignette of cherubs holding floral frames enclosing the numeral 2 at top and bottom, with the legend "Receivable in City Taxes" in the central frame. At center top, a portrait bust of a balding gentleman wearing spectacles and a 19th-century frock coat; at center bottom, two large white numeral 2s flank a guilloche grid of squares each containing the Roman numeral II. At right, a vertical ornamental panel displays a bold white numeral 2 against a contrasting ground. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Reverse is unprinted, plain paper with no design, vignette, or lettering of any kind. |
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| Comments |
Richmond's municipal government issued its own fractional currency in 1861 as the Confederacy's wartime economy rapidly drained coined silver and small federal notes from everyday commerce. The Corporation of Richmond notes were a stopgap — a local solution to a problem affecting every Southern city simultaneously, as hoarding stripped the streets of anything with intrinsic metallic value within months of secession.
The $2 denomination is uncommon among municipal issues of this type, which more typically ran to 25¢, 50¢, and $1 values to cover day-to-day transactions. The authority behind these notes dissolved practically as the war ended, leaving redemption an open question for holders.