Catalog
1 Shilling - George VI
| Issuer | Fiji |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942-1943 |
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| Value | 1 Shilling (1/20) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A traditional Fijian outrigger canoe under sail is depicted in the center of the field, its mast and rigging rendered in fine relief, with the date divided to either side — 19 to the left and 43 to the right. The denomination SHILLING arcs across the upper field, and FIJI appears in the lower exergual area. A small S mintmark for the San Francisco Mint appears below the vessel. The design is framed by a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
Fiji's wartime silver coinage was struck in Philadelphia — not London — after Japanese naval expansion across the Pacific made transatlantic and transpacific shipping to British colonial mints effectively impossible. The U.S. Mint took on production for several Allied and colonial authorities during this period, and Fiji's 1942–43 shillings are among the lesser-known results of that arrangement.
The KM#12a designation distinguishes this from the prewar sterling silver (.925) type; the slight composition change to .900 fine reflects wartime metal allocation pressures rather than any debasement policy.