1 Anna - George VI 2nd portrait, large crown, low relief

The shift to this lower-relief portrait occurred as part of a broader retooling of Indian coinage in the late 1930s, driven partly by die wear problems that plagued the higher-relief issues. The Calcutta and Bombay mints were both producing Anna coinage at volume during this period to meet wartime demand — civilian circulation requirements didn't contract just because the subcontinent was mobilized for the war effort.

KM#537 is distinguished from its near-identical predecessor primarily by the crown type and relief depth, differences that matter considerably to variety collectors but passed entirely unnoticed in daily commerce.