Britain acquired control of Cyprus following a convention with Turkey in 1878. Stamps were ordered in June 1879 and delivered in September, but for some reason not issued until 1 April 1880, whilst unoverprinted stamps continued in use. This explains why the “plates” stamps were overprinted rather than the revised designs issued in Britain from 1880 (eg 1d “Venetian red”) which were in use by the time the Cyprus overprints were finally placed on sale. British revenue stamps (with “CYPRUS” added to the unappropriated die series) had been in use since 1878.
The first stamps for postage were British stamps overprinted with just “CYPRUS” and sold in sterling. This led to some difficulties since at the prevailing exchange rate of 30 paras = 1d the ½d stamp was 15 paras, but as the available low-value coinage was ¼ piastre (10 paras), ½ piastre (20 paras) and 1 piastre (40 paras) there was no way to sell/buy a single ½d or 2½d stamp for 15 or 75 paras respectively.
All stamps are overprinted “CYPRUS” in the same font and size, except for the ½d stamp on which the overprint is smaller. Numerous forgeries of all issues exist, including on plates not shown below.
1880, Overprint ‘CYPRUS’ only
| (SG №) | denomination | colour | date of issue | number printed (sold) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ½d | Rose | Feb 1881 | 68,640 |
| 2 | 1d | Red | 01/04/1880 | 338,880 |
| 3 | 2½d | Rosey Mauve | 01/04/1880 | 319,584 |
| 4 | 4d | Sage Green | 01/04/1880 | 14,640 |
| 5 | 6d | Grey | 01/04/1880 | 3,320 |
| 6 | 1s | Green | 01/04/1880 | 2,880 |
| Varieties | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1.v1 | ½d Rose | Overprint double |
| 2.v1 | 1d Red | Overprint double |
| 2.v2 | 1d Red | Overprint omitted in vertical pair with normal |
| 3.v1 | 2½d Rosy Mauve | Watermark inverted |
1881, Overprint ‘CYPRUS’ and surcharge
| (SG №) | denomination | colour | date of issue | number printed (sold) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | ‘HALF PENNY’ (18mm) on 1d | Red | Feb 1881 | |
| 8 | ‘HALF PENNY’ (16.5mm) on 1d | Red | Apr 1881 | |
| 8b | ‘HALF PENNY’ (17mm) on 1d | Red | Feb 1881 | |
| 9 | ‘HALF PENNY’ (13mm) on 1d | Red | Jun 1881 | |
| 10 | 30 PARAS on 1d | Red | June 1881 |
| Varieties | ||
|---|---|---|
| 7.v1 | ‘HALF PENNY’ (18mm) on 1d | Surcharge double |
| 8.v1 | ‘HALF PENNY’ (16.5mm) on 1d | Surcharge double |
| 9v1 | ‘HALF PENNY’ (13mm) on 1d | Surcharge double |
| 9.v2 | Surcharge triple | |
| 9.v3 | Surcharge quadruple | |
| 10.v1 | 30 PARAS on 1d | Surcharge double, one inverted |
References specific to this and related chapters
GBOS GB Overprints Compendium edition 8, Dr John Gledhill (12/4/2020)
Particular thanks go to Stanley Gibbons Ltd, for permission to quote their catalogue numbers and numerous other contributors who are mentioned in the Appendix section.
All content is copyright, Dr John Gledhill and the GB Overprints Society, May 2025.