Catalog
9 Piastres - George VI
| Issuer | Cyprus |
|---|---|
| Year | 1938-1940 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Two heraldic lions rampant facing left, arranged centrally within the field, designed by George Kruger Gray. The denomination NINE PIASTRES appears prominently, flanked by the issuer name CYPRUS and the date of issue. A decorative mullet punctuates the legend, which is rendered in capital Latin lettering distributed around the coin's periphery within a beaded border. |
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| Mintage | 1938 - - 504,000 1938 - Proof - 1940 - - 800,000 1940 - Proof - |
| Additional information |
Cyprus was under British administration from 1878 and became a Crown Colony in 1925, but the island retained its own currency denominated in piastres rather than adopting sterling outright — a pragmatic concession to decades of Ottoman monetary habit. The 9-piastre denomination itself is an oddity rooted in earlier coinage conventions, where 18 piastres equaled one shilling, making 9 piastres the half-shilling equivalent without ever calling it that.
George VI's accession in December 1936 following Edward VIII's abdication necessitated new dies across colonial issues. The 1938 Cyprus coinage was among the first colonial silver issues to carry his effigy.