Catalog
1 Penny - George VI Copper Pattern
| Issuer | British West Africa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Central hole surrounded by a crown positioned above, with the denomination legend 'ONE PENNY' inscribed in English around the hole and the Arabic equivalent 'وَاحِد پَنّي' below. The royal legend 'GEORGIVS VI REX ET IND:IMP:' encircles the design within a beaded border, referencing George VI as King and Emperor of India. The overall design is characteristic of the holed coinage issued for British West African territories. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | GEORGIVS VI REX ET IND:IMP: ONE PENNY وَاحِد پَنّي |
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| Additional information |
British West Africa's wartime coinage was normally struck in base metal alloys due to copper shortages, making a pure copper pattern from 1945 particularly anomalous. By that point, the standard circulating pennies for the region were being produced in tin or brass compositions as part of broader wartime material conservation across the British colonial minting program.
Patterns of this type were struck at the Royal Mint as compositional trials — not intended for circulation, produced in very small numbers for official evaluation and archival retention.