2 1/2 Cents

Rhodesia's decimal coinage was introduced in 1970 when the government converted from the Rhodesian pound to the Rhodesian dollar, pegged at two shillings to the cent. The 2½-cent denomination is a direct arithmetic legacy of that conversion — an awkward fraction made necessary to allow old sixpenny prices to translate cleanly into decimal equivalents without requiring merchants to round.

By 1970, Rhodesia had been under UDI sanctions for five years, effectively cut off from London's Royal Mint. These coins were struck by the South African Mint in Pretoria.