Cyprus 1949 2 shillings
This specimen was lot 29616 in Heritage sale 3042 (Long Beach, September 2015), where it sold for $763.75. The catalog description[1] noted, "British Colony - George VI 2 Shillings 1949 MS66 NGC. The strike is sharp and the surfaces nearly pristine, with especially radiant, frosty-white luster over both sides. The finest example we have seen of this date, quite possibly the finest extant and currently the lone MS66 graded by either NGC or PCGS." This denomination, expressed as eighteen piastres until 1940, was converted from sterling silver to copper-nickel for the issues of 1947 (KM 28) and 1949 (KM 32). This marks the end of the sterling coinage; the issues of queen Elizabeth (1955-57) are decimal.
Recorded mintage: 720,000 plus proofs.
Specification: copper-nickel, 28.3 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 32.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World Coin Auction 3042, featuring the Read and Bob Bennett Collections, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2015.
Link to: