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3 Piastres
| Issuer | Government of Cyprus |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Green and lilac guilloche underprint covers the face, with 'CYPRUS' inscribed across the top panel and the numeral '3' at upper right within a decorative cartouche. The original 'ONE SHILLING' denomination in Arabic script (بر شلين) is crossed out by a horizontal overprint line, replaced by the new value. A serial number and a manuscript signature above the 'COMMISSIONER OF CURRENCY' title appear in the lower portion. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | THREE PIASTRES ΤΡΙΑ ΓΡΟΣΙΑ اوچ غوش GOVERNMENT OF CYPRUS 1st March, 1943. |
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| Comments |
Cyprus in 1943 was a Crown Colony under full British wartime administration, and the 3 Piastres denomination reflects the island's hybrid monetary reality — officially tied to the pound sterling but still denominated in piastres, a unit with Ottoman roots that Cyprus retained long after the British assumption of administration in 1878. The denomination survived largely because small-value transactions in rural areas were still understood in piastres rather than mils or shillings.
Bradbury Wilkinson printed the wartime issues under conditions of tight material rationing. Paper quality in this series is notoriously inconsistent, and notes that saw even moderate circulation frequently show foxing or ink bleed along the text lines — a known characteristic of the 1943 output rather than a grading anomaly.