Mauritius George VI 1/4 Rupee

History

1/4 Rupee 1946, KM# 18a, Mauritius, George VI

Obverse. Photo © Heritage Auctions

Description

British Mauritius was a British crown colony. Formerly part of the French colonial empire, the crown colony of Mauritius was established after a British invasion in 1810 and the subsequent Treaty of Paris that followed. It later gained independence as a Commonwealth realm on 12 March 1968.

George VI (1895–1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death. He was the last Emperor of India and the first Head of the Commonwealth.

As the second son of King George V, he was not expected to inherit the throne and spent his early life in the shadow of his elder brother, Edward. George's elder brother ascended the throne as Edward VIII upon the death of their father in 1936. However, later that year Edward revealed his desire to marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin advised Edward that for political and religious reasons he could not marry a divorced woman and remain king. Edward abdicated in order to marry, and George ascended the throne as the third monarch of the House of Windsor.

Obverse	Crown, jewelry Tudor Crown Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) George VI Depicts a crowned bust of King George VI, left, wearing the Tudor Crown, English legend around. The Tudor Crown, also referred to as the King's Crown or Imperial Crown, is a prominent symbol in the heraldry of the United Kingdom. Although different crown symbols had been used in heraldry for many years, the Tudor Crown design was standardized at the request of Edward VII. It was not meant to depict a real crown but closely resembles Queen Victoria's small diamond crown in shape. Engraver: Percy Metcalfe GEORGE VI KING EMPEROR PM
Reverse	Symbol, amulet, talisman Tudor rose, Fleur-de-lis Tree, flower, plant etc. Lotus Crown above 3 emblems: Lotus flower, fleur-de-lis (stylized lily) and Tudor Rose. The Tudor rose (sometimes called the Union rose) is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the Tudor dynasty. When Henry VII took the crown of England from Richard III in battle (1485), he brought the end of the retrospectively dubbed "Wars of the Roses" between the House of Lancaster (one monarch of which had sometimes used the badge of a red or gold rose) and the House of York (which had lately used a white-rose badge). Henry's father was Edmund Tudor from the House of Richmond (maternally), and his mother was Margaret Beaufort from the House of Lancaster; in January 1486 he married Elizabeth of York to bring all factions together. (In battle, Richard III fought under the banner of the boar, and Henry under the banner of the dragon of his native Wales.) The white rose versus red rose juxtaposition was Henry's invention. Engraver: George Edward Kruger Gray ★ MAURITIUS ★ K G QUARTER۰RUPEE۰1946
Edge	Reeded (milled)