2 Dollars Corporation of Richmond

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.