Cyprus Stamps
Issues of 1953-1955
For commemorative Cyprus stamps, the big event of 1953 was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. A brand new series of pictorial definitive stamps were implemented in 1955, coinciding with the establishment of a new currency for Cyprus.
Far reaching social and political changes were in progress in Cyprus
during this period, and ultimately, only sixteen stamps would be issued
for the reign of this new monarch.
The commemorative stamp shown above (Sc. #167) was issued on June 3, 1953 to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
The design features one of the many photographs of the young queen taken by Dorothy Wilding (1893-1976), during February 1952, just a few days after the accession of the new monarch.
The fifteen pictorial and portrait definitive Cyprus stamps shown above (Sc. #168-182) were issued on August 1, 1955. These stamps are all engraved, and they are printed on paper with the Multiple Crown and Script CA watermark.
The designs feature the Dorothy Wilding portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the following pictorial subjects.
- 002 M. -- Carobs.
- 003 M. -- Grapes.
- 005 M. -- Oranges.
- 010 M. -- Copper Pyrites Mine.
- 015 M. -- Troodos Forest.
- 020 M. -- Aphrodiite Beach.
- 025 M. -- Silver Coin of Paphos c. 400-370 BC.
- 030 M. -- Kyrenia.
- 035 M. -- Harvest in Mesaooria.
- 040 M. -- Famagusta Harbor.
- 050 M. -- St. Hilarion Castle.
- 100 M. -- Hala Sultan Tekke.
- 250 M. -- Kanakaria Church.
- 500 M. -- Ancient Cypriot Coinage Symbols for Salamis, Paphos, Citium (Kition), and Idalium.
- £ 1 -- Symbols of the Byzantine Empire, Lusignan Kingdom, Ottoman Empire, and the Republic of Venice.
On August 16, 1960, Cyprus became an independent republic, and eighty-two years of British colonial rule came to an end.
The pictorial definitive stamps issued in 1955 were overprinted "REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS" in both Greek and Turkish for provisional use by the new Cypriot government. These provisional definitive postage stamps (Sc. #183-197) continued in use, until the first definitive stamps of the Republic of Cyprus were issued in 1962.
An example is shown directly above. The overprints are spaced and placed differently on each of the stamps in the set, depending on the particular stamp's dimensions.
eBay Auction and Store Links
Cyprus (Pre-1960) Postage Stamps
The following links feature category-focused affiliated seller listings on various eBay sites worldwide. They may enable visitors to shop
for and to buy specific items for the
particular collecting subject they've just read about.
The
affiliated eBay seller auction lots provided by eBay,
Inc. are not the responsibility of the management of this
website. On high priced material, make sure the lots you are buying are properly authenticated.
Remember
that the lots on European eBay sites may be priced in EUROS or in British POUNDS. Shipping
charges may be more, and the lots may take longer to arrive. Also, make
sure the foreign seller ships to your country, before bidding on or
buying his lot.
Return to Island of Cyprus Page from
Cyprus Stamps - Issues of 1953-1955
