Catalog
50 Mils
| Issuer | Republic of Cyprus |
|---|---|
| Year | 1963-1982 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Mils (0.05) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A large, naturalistic cluster of grapes occupies the central field, flanked on each side by detailed vine leaves and suspended from a curling tendril at the top. The numeral '50' is boldly struck in the lower portion of the field beneath the grape cluster. The entire design is enclosed within a wavy decorative inner border, itself set inside the reeded outer edge, giving the reverse a distinctive framed appearance. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 50 |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Cyprus gained independence from Britain in 1960, and the new republic's decimal coinage — introduced in 1963 — replaced the former pound-shilling-pence system with pounds and mils. The timing was optimistic. Within a year, intercommunal violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots had effectively divided the island's economy and population, and by 1974 the Turkish military intervention split Cyprus into two administrative zones that persist today.
The series ran through 1982, the year before Cyprus decimalized again, abandoning mils entirely for cents.