REBEL WON FRACTIONAL NOTE FROM GENERAL SCOTT

When we are presented with a fractional items that has a contextual reference it gives us a moment to pause. No longer is it just a piece of fractional, it becomes something much more. In this case it becomes human and relatable. From FCCB’er Ronn Palm is a fascinating artifact from the Post Civil War era.

In 1866, the war is mercifully over but sentiments between the South and North were still painful and quite raw. With memory of 620,000 dead and a recently assassinated President still burning in the souls of Americans, even a low stakes card game of Whist (a game that is the pre-cursor to bridge) becomes so much more. The game took place at The St. Charles Hotel in New York State between an unknown Rebel and a famous Union General. No doubt emotions were still running very high. On the reverse of an ordinary Justice fractional (FR1363) is a very telling hand written inscription.

Whist Winner:
The winner is an unnamed Rebel. His name was lost over the annals of times. Most likely if he was engaged in a quasi-friendly gambling game with a famous Union General, he must have been a man of some achievement. It is apparent that over the “50 Oval” on the left side he was proud of his achievement. Simply stated: ‘THE WINNER WAS A REBEL’…it speaks volumes. The 50¢ won is a trivial sum, but the fact he won the game over a distinguished Union General was a source of great pride. The message was clear: “The South lost the war, but darn it, I beat the General in a card game and achieved a small measure of revenge.” Not content to just stick in his pocket, the Rebel had to memorialize the victory on the note and declare himself on who he was…’A Rebel’. Too bad he didn’t sign his name, but it’s obvious he was proud of his heritage.

For more information on the Society of Paper Money Collectors, see:
https://www.spmc.org/

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