Brass Quarter Rupees of George VI in 1943

Albert Frederick Arthur George, universally known as King George VI, reigned as King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 1936 to 1952. He also held the title of Emperor of India until August 1947, when the British Raj came to an end with the independence of India. The coinage issued during his reign reflects a period of rapid change, driven largely by the economic pressures of the Second World War. Alterations in alloy composition, minting techniques, edge security, and die varieties make the George VI series one of the most technically complex and extensively studied periods of British Indian numismatics.

The Quarter Rupee was struck at the Calcutta, Bombay, and Lahore Mints throughout George VI's reign, with its metallic composition changing several times in response to wartime shortages of silver. The denomination was issued in 0.917 fine silver in 1939, followed by 0.500 fine silver from 1940 and again during 1942-1945, before the transition to nickel in 1946-1947. The coins generally measured between 19.0 and 19.5 mm in diameter and retained a consistent module despite changes in alloy. Among the wartime issues, 1943 is particularly notable for the diversity of its mint and edge varieties. Calcutta Mint coins, identifiable by the absence of a mint mark, were struck with a milled edge. Bombay Mint issues exist with both dot and diamond mint marks beneath the reverse ornament, and these are normally associated with a security edge, the diamond variety generally exhibiting slightly greater diameter, thickness, and weight than the dot variety. Lahore Mint pieces are distinguished by a raised "L" and occur with both milled and security edges, including the well-known large "3" date variety.

An exceptional specimen examined during this study differs fundamentally from the officially documented issues of 1943. The coin is struck in a brass alloy, rather than the standard 0.500 fine silver, and has a recorded weight of approximately 3.06 grams. It bears a raised dot beneath the reverse design, corresponding to the Bombay Mint dot variety. However, unlike the documented Bombay issues, the specimen possesses a milled edge rather than the expected security edge. This combination of characteristics is particularly significant because, according to the established references, milled edges in 1943 are associated only with Calcutta and certain Lahore Mint issues, while Bombay Mint quarter rupees of that year are known exclusively with security edges.

Although the overall design, portrait, and reverse details closely resemble the regular Bombay dot variety, the unusual combination of brass composition, Bombay mint mark, and milled edge is not recorded in the standard numismatic literature. This suggests that the specimen represents an anomalous striking rather than a normal circulation issue. One plausible explanation is that the coin is an Off-Metal Strike (OMS), produced when an official die was used to strike a planchet composed of an unintended alloy. Alternatively, it may represent an experimental striking or an exceptionally well-executed unofficial manufacture. Confirmation of its origin would require metallurgical examination together with detailed die comparison against authenticated 1943 Bombay Mint quarter rupees.

The significance of this discovery is reinforced by an earlier finding of a copper Quarter Rupee dated 1940. That specimen closely matched the official dimensions of the regular 1940 Quarter Rupee, featured a milled edge, and had a recorded weight of approximately 2.64 grams, considerably below the standard silver issue because of its different metallic composition. The existence of anomalous copper and brass quarter rupees from different years suggests that such off-metal pieces may not be isolated occurrences but could represent a small and previously undocumented group of experimental or irregular strikings produced during the wartime period.

If authenticated through metallurgical analysis and die-link studies, the 1943 brass Quarter Rupee and the previously discovered 1940 copper Quarter Rupee would constitute important additions to the corpus of British Indian off-metal strikes. These specimens not only broaden the known variety spectrum of the George VI Quarter Rupee series but also provide valuable evidence of the complexities of wartime mint operations, alloy experimentation, and quality-control practices in the closing years of British rule in India.