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41/2 Piastres - George VI
| Issuer | Cyprus |
|---|---|
| Year | 1938 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing crowned effigy of King George VI, rendered in high relief with fine portrait detail by Percy Metcalfe. The king wears the Imperial State Crown, depicted with considerable heraldic detail including fleurs-de-lis and crosses pattée. The truncation of the bust is bare and unadorned. The circular legend reads GEORGIVS VI DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP., separated from the toothed border by a narrow inner rim. The engraver's initials PM appear discreetly at the lower truncation. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | GEORGIVS VI DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP. |
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| Additional information |
Cyprus remained under British administration throughout the interwar period, and the 1938 coinage series was struck at the Royal Mint in London during a moment of significant colonial tension — the island had seen serious anti-British riots in 1931, during which the Government House was burned. The colonial administration's response included abolishing the Legislative Council entirely, leaving Cyprus governed by decree for years afterward.
The fractional piastre denominations were a legacy of the Ottoman monetary system Cyprus inherited upon British occupation in 1878 — an awkward inheritance the administration never fully rationalized before Cyprus moved to a decimal system in 1955.