Cyprus Queen Victoria Definitive

Cyprus · 1881 · 1/2 Piastre

This definitive stamp features a diademed profile portrait of Queen Victoria, facing left, within an octagonal frame. The design is based on the contemporary British definitives, with the country name 'CYPRUS' inscribed at the top and the denomination 'HALF PIASTRE' at the bottom.

Issued in 1881, this was the first postage stamp of Cyprus under British administration, which began in 1878. The stamp was overprinted on a British 1d Venetian red stamp (plate 216 or 218) and marks the beginning of the island's British colonial philatelic period.