5 Shillings

Cyprus had no central bank until 1963, and for much of the colonial period the Currency Commissioner issued notes directly under Colonial Office authority. This 5 Shillings note — part of a series that ran through the final decade before Cypriot independence became a serious political question — was produced by Bradbury Wilkinson, the New Malden firm responsible for a substantial portion of British colonial currency output during this period.

The long issue window, 1939 to 1950, spans the Second World War, during which Cyprus served as a staging point for Allied operations in the Eastern Mediterranean. Notes from the early war dates tend to show heavier circulation wear than later printings.