Coins of Cyprus

The coins of the Cypriot pound are part of the physical form of former Cypriot currency, the Cypriot pound. They have been issued since coming under British rule in 1878, until Cyprus' adoption of Euro in 2008.

Before 1955, 1 pound was divided into 20 shillings (σελίνι / σελίνια, şilin), and each shilling was divided into 9 piastres (γρόσι / γρόσια, kuruş).

The first coinage was issued by the British in 1879, comprising bronze piastres depicting the head of Queen Victoria on one side and the word 'Cyprus' on the verso. This was subject to some controversy at the time, with questions being asked in the British House of Commons as to the legality of the British government issuing coinage in territory which was still, legally, part of the Ottoman Empire.

In 1955, Cyprus decimalized with 1000 mils (μιλς, mil) to the pound. The system was based on a proposal, presented to the British parliament in 1881, to introduce a decimal currency system into the United Kingdom. The political debate on decimalising British coinage had been going on since 1824, but the 1881 motion failed to gain parliamentary approval and so the mil-system was never introduced into the United Kingdom itself. Instead it was used in various British colonial and protectorate territories, including Palestine from 1927, and Cyprus from 1955.

In 1955, the coins of the King George VI issues were withdrawn from circulation. These were replaced by coins with Queen Elizabeth II, denominated in mils. The coins that were issued are the following:

3 mils, 5 mils (also issued in 1956), 25 mils, 50 mils, and 100 mils (also issued in 1957).

The 50 mil coin became known as a 'shilling', because it was the same size as the 1 shilling and 9 piastre coins. The 100 mil coin became known as '2 shillings', because it was the same size as the 2 shilling and 18 piastre coins. The 5 mil coin and 100 mil coin of 1956 are very sought after by collectors of Commonwealth coins. The 100 mils is very rare.

...
Wikipedia