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1/2 Piastre - Edward VII
| Issuer | Cyprus |
|---|---|
| Year | 1908 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound (1879-1955) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central denomination numeral '1/2' is displayed within an inner circle of beads, serving as the primary design element. The outer legend, separated by a beaded border, reads · CYPRUS · HALF PIASTRE · 1908, clearly identifying the issuing territory, denomination, and date. The overall layout is simple and functional, characteristic of British colonial bronze coinage of the Edwardian period. The date 1908 appears as part of the circular reverse legend. |
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| Additional information |
Cyprus passed to British administration in 1878 under a convention with the Ottoman Empire, and coinage for the island presented an immediate awkward problem: the existing Ottoman monetary system had to be reconciled with British denominations. The piastre solution was a compromise that satisfied neither local merchants nor the Colonial Office particularly well, but it persisted. By 1908, Edward VII had only three years left to reign, and production of this denomination was already winding down — the series would not survive long into George V's reign before Cyprus's coinage was reformed.