Cyprus 1938 18 piastres
This silver eighteen piastres was struck during the reign of George VI, king of Great Britain 1936-52. Tho denominated in piastres, it is the same size and weight as a British florin of two shillings. Unlike British florins of the thirties, which were only 0.500 fine, this type is sterling. The first specimen was lot 1410 in Stack's Coin Galleries sale (Irvine, July 2011). The second specimen was part of lot 32179 in Heritage sale 3041 (Chicago, August 2015), which sold for $11,162.50. The catalog description[2] noted, "Cyprus, British Colony - George VI Five-Coin Proof Set 1938, 1/2 Piastre PR65 NGC, Piastre PR65 NGC, 4-1/2 Piastres PR65 NGC, 9 Piastres PR66 NGC, 18 Piastres PR66 Cameo NGC. KM-PS7. This beautifully matched set features two copper-nickel and three silver denominations....The two remaining denominations--the 9 Piastres and 18 Piastres--present an equal amount of dappled patina in luminous amber and electric-blue that lightly dot the centers and more heavily coat the peripheries. In researching the population reports of these five coins, their excellence is further confirmed, as only a handful of like-graded pieces exist at present time. Furthermore, the 18 Piastres is currently the only certified example in a Proof Cameo designation by NGC. Thus it follows that while each individual piece is superior in both technical quality and visual allure, the true power of these pieces ultimately lies in their collection as a whole."
Recorded mintage: 200,000 plus a few proofs.
Specification: 11.31 g, 0.925 fine silver, .336 troy oz ASW, designed by G. Krueger-Gray.
Catalog reference: KM 26.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Van Valen, Frank, and Vicken Yegparian, The July 2011 Coin Galleries Sale, Irvine, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, 2011.
- [2]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World & Ancient Coins Auction 3041, featuring the Eric Beckman Collection of Canadian Coins, the Kaiser Collection of German Gold Coins and the Rudman Collection of Mexican Coins, Part I, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2015.
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