Malta's 1972 currency reform introduced the Maltese lira to replace the pound at par, following the country's 1964 independence and the subsequent push to establish distinctly national institutions. The Central Bank of Malta had only been founded in 1968, making this among its earliest issued series. Specimen pieces from this issue were produced for distribution to other central banks and numismatic archives rather than circulation.
Copper specimens of this denomination are rarely encountered outside institutional collections.
Malta's 1972 currency reform introduced the Maltese lira to replace the pound at par, following the country's 1964 independence and the subsequent push to establish distinctly national institutions. The Central Bank of Malta had only been founded in 1968, making this among its earliest issued series. Specimen pieces from this issue were produced for distribution to other central banks and numismatic archives rather than circulation.
Copper specimens of this denomination are rarely encountered outside institutional collections.