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1/2 Penny - George VI
| Issuer | Commonwealth of Australia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939-1948 |
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| Engraver(s) | Obverse: Thomas Humphrey Paget Reverse: George Kruger Gray |
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| Obverse description | Uncrowned, bare-headed left-facing effigy of King George VI, modelled in high relief by Thomas Humphrey Paget, whose initials 'HP' appear small beneath the truncation of the neck. The portrait is rendered in a naturalistic style, depicting the king in civilian dress with finely detailed hair. A continuous Latin legend encircles the bust, reading 'GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR:OMN:REX F:D:IND:IMP', separated by raised dots. The coin is bound by a toothed inner border and an outer raised rim. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Australian halfpenny production ran almost continuously through the Second World War, but 1942 and 1943 saw striking contracted out to the Bombay and San Francisco mints respectively — an emergency measure as the Perth and Melbourne facilities strained under wartime demand. The Bombay issues are distinguishable by a small dot above the bottom scroll, a detail that has made them a genuine collecting target rather than an afterthought.
The postwar years through 1948 saw mintages climb sharply as consumer spending recovered. Circulated examples from the war years routinely show accelerated wear from heavy use in low-denomination transactions.