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5 Shillings / Σελίνια / Şilin
| Issuer | Government of Cyprus |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
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| Value | 5 Shillings |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 5/- ΠΕΝΤΕ ΣΕΛΙΝΙΑ بش شلين FIVE SHILLINGS Issued by the GOVERNMENT OF CYPRUS 30th October 1914 CURRENCY COMMISSIONER |
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| Protection description | Watermarked paper as used by Thomas De La Rue for colonial government issues of the period. |
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| Comments |
Cyprus was under British administration from 1878 but remained technically Ottoman sovereign territory until November 1914, when Britain formally annexed the island following the Ottoman entry into the First World War on the German side. This note was issued almost immediately after that annexation — the Government of Cyprus moving quickly to establish a local paper currency distinct from both Ottoman and Egyptian pound systems that had previously circulated on the island.
The trilingual denomination inscription reflects the island's demographic split: English for the colonial administration, Greek for the majority population, Turkish for the significant Cypriot Muslim minority. De La Rue produced the plates in London, their standard arrangement for British colonial issues of the period.