Cyprus 50 mils 1963 - Bunch of grapes

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 50 mils coin shows a bunch of grapes, a reminder of the vine grown on the island since Antiquity. Two grape varieties are native to Cyprus: mavro, with black grapes, and xynisteri, with white grapes. Both sides were engraved by William Maving Gardner. In 1963, the Royal Mint struck 2,800,000 pieces, plus 25,000 proofs, and the coin continued to be struck until 1982.