Cyprus 100 mils 1963 - Cyprus Mouflon

The coin's story

On 16 August 1960, Cyprus became an independent republic, after more than 80 years of British administration. It kept the Cyprus pound divided into 1,000 mils, adopted in 1955. Its own coins appeared in 1963: they bear the arms of the new state and the name of the country in its two official languages, Greek and Turkish. The reverse of the 100 mils coin, the highest value of the series, shows a Cyprus mouflon (Ovis orientalis ophion) in mid-leap. Both sides were engraved by William Maving Gardner. In 1963, the Royal Mint struck 1,750,000 pieces, plus 25,000 proofs, and the coin continued to be struck until 1982.