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1/2 Cent - George VI
| Issuer | Government of Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1937-1940 |
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| Currency | Rupee (1871-1972) |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed effigy of King George VI facing left, wearing the Imperial State Crown, rendered in moderate relief after a design by Percy Metcalfe. The engraver's initials 'PM' appear in small characters below the truncation of the bust. The circumferential legend reads 'GEORGE VI KING AND EMPEROR OF INDIA.' in raised Latin lettering, running clockwise from the lower left. The field is smooth and the entire design is bordered by a continuous beaded inner circle adjacent to the toothed outer rim. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central design features a tall, naturalistically rendered coconut palm tree rising from a grassy mound, enclosed within a raised beaded inner circle. To the left of the palm, Sinhalese script denotes the half-cent denomination, while Tamil script appears to the right. The date is placed in the lower segment of the inner circle, below the palm's base. Around the outer margin the legend 'CEYLON · HALF · CENT' is inscribed in Latin lettering, separated by raised pellets at intervals, with additional pellets flanking the legend at the lower sides. The toothed rim encircles the entire design. |
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| Additional information |
Ceylon's half cent survived into the George VI series largely by institutional inertia — the denomination had almost no practical purchasing power by the late 1930s and circulated mainly because existing vending infrastructure and wage accounting hadn't been updated to eliminate it. The colonial treasury continued authorizing the issue despite internal recommendations to retire sub-cent coinage.
The Royal Mint struck these across four years with mintages that varied considerably; the 1940 issue is notably scarcer in collectible condition, likely reflecting wartime shipping disruption between London and Colombo.