5 Pounds

Cyprus gained independence from Britain in August 1960, and the Central Bank of Cyprus was established shortly after — this 1961 issue was among the first releases under the new national authority, replacing the Cyprus Currency Board notes that had circulated under colonial administration. Bradbury Wilkinson, the Surrey-based security printer, handled the work, as they did for a significant portion of newly independent Commonwealth states during this period.

Pick 40 is notably scarcer than the later issues in this series. High-denomination notes from the first independence-era printing tend to survive in small numbers, partly because they saw genuine commercial use rather than being hoarded as souvenirs.