An Unusual Lightweight Thin Variety of the 1944 Two-Anna Coin under George VI in British India

Albert Frederick Arthur George, widely known as George VI, ruled as King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 1936 to 1952. He also served as the last Emperor of British India, holding this title until the end of the British Raj in August 1947. Coins struck during his reign, including the 1944 2-anna issues, bear his effigy and offer a glimpse into the late colonial coinage of India.

In 1944, during the reign of George VI, the 2-anna coin of British India was produced at two major mints: the Bombay Mint and the Lahore Mint. These coins were part of the wartime coinage issued in the later years of British rule in India. A notable numismatic distinction between the two mints lies in the mint mark style used below the year. Coins struck at the Bombay Mint bear a small dot beneath the date “1944”, which served as the identifying mint mark for Bombay issues. In contrast, the coins produced at the Lahore Mint do not carry this dot, making them identifiable by the absence of the mark. This difference in mint marks allows collectors and researchers to distinguish between the two varieties of the 1944 two-anna coin, and it represents an important detail in the study of the coinage system of British India during the final decade before independence.

The 1944 2-anna Bombay mint coins of George VI were uniquely square-shaped, weighing approximately 5.8 grams with a thickness of around 1.8 mm. Struck in nickel-brass, these coins featured a plain edge, reflecting the typical metallic composition of late British Indian coinage.

However, a notable variant from the Bombay Mint has been observed weighing only 5.26 grams and measuring 1.1 mm thick, suggesting either a lightweight issue or a minting variation.