25 Cents George VI

The 1940 Mauritius fractional notes — the 25 Cents among them — were a direct consequence of wartime metal shortages. With silver and bronze redirected toward the war effort, small-denomination coinage effectively disappeared from circulation across British colonial territories, forcing treasury authorities to issue paper substitutes for values that would never normally have warranted a printed note. De La Rue produced the series in London under conditions that were anything but routine, given the Blitz began that same year.

Pick 24 is notably scarce in circulated grades, partly because the small format made these notes prone to destruction through heavy use.