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5 Pounds Greek face value 'ΛΙΡΑΙ'
| Issuer | Central Bank of Cyprus |
|---|---|
| Year | 1979 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 148 × 72 mm |
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| Obverse lettering | ΚΕΝΤΡΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟΥ KIBRIS MERKEZ BANKASI C549786 £5 1.6.1979 1960 ΠΕΝΤΕ ΛΙΡΑΙ BEŞ LİRA ΔΙΟΙΚΗΤΗΣ - MÜDÜR C549786 £5 |
| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a sweeping intaglio vignette of the ancient Greco-Roman theatre at Salamis, rendered in a warm violet-purple palette with the tiered stone seating and surrounding archaeological ruins set against a backdrop of trees and open sky. A bearded male head, likely a Classical or Hellenistic sculptural fragment, appears in a circular cartouche at the lower right, echoing the archaeological theme. Denomination numerals and the bank title in English frame the composition at top and bottom. |
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| Comments |
The Central Bank of Cyprus began issuing notes independently following the island's 1963–64 intercommunal violence and the subsequent collapse of joint governance arrangements. By 1979, the pound had been fully decoupled from sterling for over a decade, and the face value rendered in Greek — ΛΙΡΑΙ rather than POUNDS — reflected the practical reality that Turkish Cypriot institutions had by then established a separate currency administration in the north following the 1974 partition.
Thomas De La Rue had printed Cypriot notes continuously since colonial-era issues, making this a long-standing contract relationship rather than a one-off arrangement.