- This article is about the former circulation coin of Cyprus. For the current euro coin, see Cypriot 2 euro cent coin.
| 2 cents | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Country |
|
| Used by |
|
| Value |
£0.02 |
| Years |
1983–2004 |
| Measurements and composition | |
| Mass |
2.5 g |
| Diameter |
19 mm |
| Thickness |
1.25 mm |
| Composition |
nickel-brass |
| Appearance | |
| Shape |
round |
| Alignment |
medallic |
| Edge |
plain |
| Obverse |
Coat of arms of Cyprus, state title, year |
| Reverse |
13th century BC art of two goats, value |
| v · d · e | |
The 2 cent coin, known colloquially in Greek as the δίσεντο (Romanized: dísento), is a former circulation piece of the Republic of Cyprus. It was issued by the Central Bank of Cyprus in three varieties from 1983 to 2004: the first in 1983, the second from 1985 to 1990, and the third from 1991 to 2004. All three varieties were struck under commission at the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, Wales, United Kingdom.
The piece initially carried legal tender status in Cyprus (excluding Northern Cyprus) and the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, holding a nominal value of 0.02 pounds (lira). However, with Cyprus' adoption of the euro on January 1, 2008, the 2 cent coin was demonetized on January 31, 2008, but remained exchangeable until December 31, 2009. Due to its low purchasing power though, the coin's use was already declining before its demonetization.
The 2 cent coin is composed of a nickel-brass alloy of 70 percent copper, 24.5 percent zinc, and 5.5 percent nickel, and measures approximately 2.5 grams in mass, 19 millimeters in diameter, and 1.25 millimeters in thickness. It has medallic alignment; raised, undecorated rims; and a plain edge, and like most coins, is round in shape.
The coin's obverse was designed by Greek-Cypriot artist Clara Zacharaki-Georgiou. Featured in the middle is the coat of arms of Cyprus – which consists of a central escutcheon containing the date "1960" and a dove holding an olive branch in its mouth, surrounded by a wreath of olive branches. On pieces minted from 1983 to 1990, the branches of the wreath are larger and touch the escutcheon, and the dove's features are more defined. On later pieces, however, the wreath and the escutcheon are significantly smaller and do not touch, and the dove is illustrated with much less detail. Printed next to the arms, traveling clockwise from the coin's lower left to lower right peripheries, is the name of Cyprus in English, Greek, and Turkish, the three most spoken languages in the island country. The names, respectively written as "CYPRUS", "ΚΥΠΡΟΣ" (Romanized: Kipros), and "KIBRIS", are separated by small circular points. Inscribed counterclockwise in smaller print at the bottom of the piece, occupying the remainder of the rim, is the Gregorian date of minting, flanked on both sides by a small point. This date is noticeably larger on coins struck from 1991 to 2004 than on earlier examples.
As described by the Central Bank of Cyprus, the reverse, also designed by Zacharaki-Georgiou, displays "two heraldically arranged stylized goats from a shallow bowl...from the mid-13th century BC". Three circles are also included in the illustration, with the first to the left of the first goat and the second above it, and the third below the second goat. Four dots are engraved inside the circle at the coin's bottom left field, while six are shown in the other circles. Written in large font to the upper right of the second goat is the numeral "2", identifying the piece's face value of 2 cents. On coins struck in 1983, the field inside this numeral is raised, whereas on all later pieces the field is incuse.
Over 12 years of production, 85,156,250 to 94,222,250 examples of the coin were produced. Of these, all but 6,250 proofs were struck with a standard finish. The standard pieces were manufactured during all 12 years, whereas the proofs were only minted in 1983. A small number of standard finish coins were placed into mint sets in 1983, 1988, 1990, 1994, 2004, and 2007, and all of the proofs were put into proof sets.
| Mintages | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Variety | Mintage | |
| 1983 | Large escutcheon and wreath, raised "2", small date | 12,000,000[1] | |
| 1983 Proof | 6,250[2] | ||
| 1985 | Large escutcheon and wreath, incuse "2", small date | 8,000,000–8,066,000[3] | |
| 1988 | 5,150,000[4] | ||
| 1990 | 4,000,000[4] | ||
| 1991 | Small escutcheon and wreath, incuse "2", large date | 4,000,000 | |
| 1992 | 4,000,000 | ||
| 1993 | 4,000,000–7,000,000[5] | ||
| 1994 | 10,000,000[4] | ||
| 1996 | 12,000,000 | ||
| 1998 | 10,000,000 | ||
| 2003 | 5,000,000 | ||
| 2004 | 7,000,000–13,000,000[4][6] | ||
| Total | 85,156,250–94,222,250 | ||
| |||
References[]
- Numismatic Guaranty Corporation – Cyprus - 2 Cents, KM# 54.1 (1983) • Cyprus - 2 Cents, KM# 54.2 (1985–1990) • Cyprus - 2 Cents, KM# 54.3 (1991–2004)
- Colnect – 2 Cents (1983) • 2 Cents (1985–1990) • 2 Cents (1991–2004)
- Numista – 2 Cents (1983–2004) (English) (French)
- Central Bank of Cyprus – Banknotes & Coins – 2 Cent • Central Bank of Cyprus – Demonetized Banknotes and Coins
Coins of the Cypriot pound on the English Wikipedia- Cypriot pound on the English Wikipedia
Template:Cypriot pound