1 Cent - George VI

Ceylon's wartime bronze cents were a direct consequence of material shortages that disrupted coinage across the British Empire. The composition shift reflected broader wartime metal allocation pressures, with nickel and other strategic alloys diverted to the war effort. Ceylon itself became a critical Allied logistics hub after the fall of Singapore in 1942, with Colombo serving as a major Royal Navy base — the same year this issue began.

KM#111a distinguishes this wartime bronze variant from its predecessor nickel-brass issue, a detail that dealers and collectors frequently conflate.