Catalog
5 Shillings - King George V
| Issuer | Government of Cyprus |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917-1918 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ΠΕΝΤΕ ΣΕΛΙΝΙΑ FIVE SHILLINGS ISSUED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF CYPRUS COMMISSIONER OF CURRENCY |
| Reverse description | Reverse left intentionally blank. |
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| Comments |
Cyprus was under British administration from 1878, but the First World War created acute pressure on small-denomination coinage across the empire — metal was needed for munitions, and subsidiary coins vanished from circulation almost immediately after 1914. This note, along with the other low-denomination issues of the same period, was a direct response to that shortage rather than any organic development of Cypriot monetary infrastructure.
De La Rue printed the series in London, which was standard for Crown Colony issues of this period. Pick 7 is among the earlier emergency-style fractional notes produced for the island, and surviving examples in any condition are genuinely uncommon — the small format and low face value meant heavy handling and poor survival rates.