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1/4 Rupee - George VI
| Issuer | India - British |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942-1943 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing effigy of King George VI wearing the Imperial State Crown, modelled by Percy Metcalfe, occupying the central field. The portrait is rendered in high relief with fine detail on the crown's arches, fleurs-de-lis, and pearl borders. The surrounding legend reads GEORGE VI KING EMPEROR, disposed along the periphery in large Latin capitals. The design is contained within a toothed outer border. The truncation of the bust is plain and unadorned. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | GEORGE VI KING EMPEROR |
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| Additional information |
The shift to .500 silver in 1940 — halving the fineness from the .917 standard that had held since the nineteenth century — was a direct consequence of wartime metal demands. Britain needed silver for munitions contracts and Lend-Lease obligations, and the Indian coinage bore the cost. The Bombay and Calcutta mints ran at extraordinary capacity through 1942 and 1943 to keep subsidiary coinage in circulation across a subcontinent simultaneously funding and supplying the Allied war effort.
KM#546 pieces from this window are common in lower circulated grades but frequently show uneven surfaces from the debased alloy's behavior under the dies.