6 Pence - George VI

Australia's switch to .500 fine silver for the sixpence came in 1946, driven by wartime and postwar silver shortages that forced the Commonwealth to halve the alloy quality from the .925 standard used before the war. The change was made quietly — no announcement, no design alteration — so most users never noticed. The Treasury simply hoped no one would.

Production across 1946–1948 was handled by the Melbourne Mint, still operating under Royal Mint branch status before its eventual transition to full Australian government control in 1965.