Catalog
1 Shilling - George VI
| Issuer | Cyprus |
|---|---|
| Year | 1947 |
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| Value | 1 Shilling (1/20) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Three heraldic lions passant guardant, adapted from the Royal Arms, arranged vertically in the field and engraved by George Kruger Gray. The denomination legend ONE CYPRUS SHILLING arcs around the upper and left periphery, while the date 1947 appears in the lower exergual area flanked by small decorative stars. The design is enclosed within a border of fine denticles, and the bold, stylised rendering of the lions is characteristic of Kruger Gray's heraldic work for British colonial coinage. |
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| Reverse lettering | ONE CYPRUS SHILLING 1947 |
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| Additional information |
The 1947 Cyprus shilling was struck just as Britain was tightening its grip on colonial administration following the chaos of World War II — and just as Cypriot enosis sentiment was sharpening into what would become the EOKA campaign of the 1950s. Copper-nickel had replaced the earlier silver composition during the war years when strategic metals were redirected to the war effort, and this issue continued that wartime substitution into peacetime without ceremony.
George VI's cypher appears on colonial issues from this period under a Crown Agents contract, with dies prepared in London regardless of striking location.