Cyprus – ½ Piastre 1881H – Queen Victoria – Heaton Mint – Early British Cyprus Bronze Issue An attractive and increasingly collectible ½ Piastre struck in 1881 for British Cyprus during the reign of Queen Victoria. This example bears the desirable “H” mintmark, indicating production by the famous Heaton Mint in Birmingham, one of the principal private mints of the British Empire. The 1881H variety had a limited mintage of 72,000 pieces, making it one of the scarcer early bronze issues of Cyprus. The obverse features the classic left-facing portrait of Queen Victoria by Leonard Charles Wyon, while the reverse displays the denomination ½ within a beaded circle surrounded by the inscriptions CYPRUS and HALF PIASTRE, a simple yet elegant design unique to the first coinage of British Cyprus. Specifications * Country: Cyprus (British Administration) * Ruler: Queen Victoria * Year: 1881H * Denomination: ½ Piastre * Mint: Heaton Mint, Birmingham (“H” mintmark) * Composition: Bronze (95% copper, 4% tin, 1% zinc) * Weight: 5.83 g * Diameter: 27.5 mm * Edge: Plain * Mintage: 72,000 pieces * Reference: KM#2 Condition A pleasing original circulated example with an attractive chocolate-brown patina. The legends remain bold and fully legible, while the portrait of Queen Victoria retains good detail despite honest circulation wear. The coin has not been over-cleaned and presents an appealing, original appearance. Please study the photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the description. Early Victorian coins of British Cyprus are highly sought after by collectors of Cyprus, British Empire and Commonwealth coinage. The 1881H issue represents one of the key bronze denominations from the island’s first colonial coinage and is becoming increasingly difficult to acquire in attractive original condition.