George VI
The last British India coinage — issues of George VI, running up to independence and the transition that followed.
George VI coinage
George VI's coinage closes the British India story. It covers the years either side of the Second World War, a period when metal supply pressures affected coinage across the world and India was no exception, and it continues to 1947 and the transition that followed.
Two portrait types appear across the reign, and collectors distinguish them as a matter of course. Mint marks remain an important axis, and wartime issues in particular repay close attention to the marks beside the date.
What collectors focus on
- Portrait type — the obverse changes during the reign.
- Mint mark — which mint struck a given date.
- Metal — composition changes across the period.
- Pre- and post-1947 — where the series sits relative to independence.