Crowned bust of King George VI, left, wearing the Tudor Crown, legend around.

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.

The Tudor Crown, also known as the King's Crown or Imperial Crown, is a widely used symbol in heraldry of the United Kingdom. While various crown symbols had been used for this purpose for many years previously, the specific Tudor Crown design was standardised at the request of Edward VII. It was never intended to represent any actual physical crown, although in shape it bears a close resemblance to the small diamond crown of Queen Victoria.

Engraver: Percy Metcalfe

Value within beaded circle, surrounded by the inscription, date below.

The Malayan coins were issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya, with a hiatus during the Japanese occupation (1942–1945). The Board came into being in October 1938 following the Blackett Report which recommended that the sole power of issuing currency for the various Malay States, including Brunei, and the Straits Settlements should be entrusted to a pan-Malayan Currency Commission. One of the steps it took was to have the Royal Mint strike coins, ready for placement in circulation soon after the return (the Japanese issued no coinage, relying on paper money). The coins were stock-piled in London until Malaya was placed under British Military Administration in August 1945 when they were soon put into circulation.