1/2 Cent - Victoria

The British East India Company's copper coinage for Ceylon in the 1840s emerged from a prolonged administrative dispute over the island's monetary supply — local merchants had long complained that the existing circulation, a chaotic mix of Dutch stuivers, local "doit" coppers, and imported British pieces, made small transactions nearly impossible to price consistently. The half cent was a direct response, designed to anchor the lowest tier of retail exchange.

The Prid reference covers two proof varieties distinguished by die alignment, both struck at Soho or a related Birmingham contractor rather than a royal mint facility.