20 Lira Operation Atilla

Operation Atilla was the Turkish military codename for the second phase of the 1974 Cyprus intervention, launched in August after a ceasefire collapse following the July coup backed by the Greek junta. The operation resulted in Turkish forces securing roughly 37% of the island's territory — the division that remains frozen to this day. Turkey frames 1974 as a legitimate response under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee; Cyprus, Greece, and the EU do not.

Commemorative silver issues from Darphane marking military operations are rare enough that this enamel-finished piece occupies an unusual niche — part numismatic product, part official state position on a dispute that fifty years of diplomacy has not resolved.