Catalog
1 Shilling
| Issuer | Government of Cyprus |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound (1879-1955) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain uncoloured reverse centred on a large guilloche medallion enclosing the denomination numeral 1/s, surrounded by elaborate scrollwork and foliate arabesques printed in dark grey ink. The Arabic denomination اش is repeated in each of the four corners as the sole lettering on an otherwise purely ornamental design. |
| Reverse lettering | 1/s اش اش اش اش |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Cyprus was under British administration from 1878 and formally annexed as a Crown Colony in 1914. This 1920 shilling note was issued under the Government of Cyprus rather than through a commercial bank — a deliberate choice that kept paper money issuance directly in colonial hands, with no intermediary institution absorbing the risk or the profit.
De La Rue's involvement here is unremarkable for the period; they held a near-monopoly on British colonial currency printing. What is worth noting is that the P#14 series represents early small-denomination government paper for the island, issued partly to ease a chronic shortage of coin in circulation following the disruptions of the First World War.