MALAYA. 10 Cents, 1945-I. Bombay Mint. PCGS EF-45 Gold Shield.
KM-4a; Tan-MAC6; Prid-9a; Boon-KN6f (plate coin). EXTREMELY RARE. A seldom seen issue from the closing days of World War II. Struck with the letter "I" below the denomination to denote being minted at one of the Indian Government mints, in this case the mint in Bombay. Prior to the close of the war with Japan, the British government had laid plans for a smooth transition from military governance back to local government control as a protectorate.
One of the crucial aspects they anticipated was the need for a reliable supply of coinage to replace what was lost during the Japanese Occupation. Thus massive quantities of coinage were planned and produced for British Pacific holdings including Malaya. To ease the production strain on the Royal Mint, the Indian mints at Bombay and Calcutta were utilized for some of the mintages as they had been for previous issues. With the surrender of Japanese troops in August of 1945, stockpiled coins which had been minted in 1943/4 were immediately issued and production of a 1945 issue began. The minting of these new 1, 5, 10 and 20 Cent pieces continued into 1946, though the date of 1945 was still used. Of the three denominations struck in India and bearing the "I" mintmark, only the 5 Cent pieces were struck in any major quantity. With fewer than ten pieces known of the 10 Cents, this is one of the key dates not only for this specific series but for all British Colonial coinage from this region. Lightly toned and handsome. The Boon plate coin and the only example certified by PCGS
Sold: USD 2,500 (the price excluded from the 20% buyer fees)
