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2 Shillings
| Issuer | Government of Cyprus |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#15 |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in green and centres on a large ornate vignette in which the denomination numeral 2/s is set within a framed cartouche, surrounded by elaborate scrollwork and foliate arabesques in letterpress. The Arabic denomination inscription آ ش appears at upper left and right, and the legend TWO SHILLINGS is repeated within a banner below the central cartouche. |
| Reverse lettering | 2/s TWO SHILLINGS آش |
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| Comments |
Cyprus was a British protectorate from 1878 and a formal Crown Colony from 1925, but in 1920 it occupied an awkward constitutional middle ground — and its currency reflected that. The Government of Cyprus issued its own treasury notes rather than relying on any colonial currency board, a relatively unusual arrangement that gave local administration direct control over small-denomination paper.
De La Rue had held the Cyprus contract for years by this point. The 2 Shilling denomination served the low end of the paper money range, filling a gap between coin and higher-value notes in an island economy still heavily dependent on agricultural trade.