Cyprus, 25 Different Stamps

10,000 Years of Civilization on a Mediterranean Island
25 Different Stamps from Cyprus

Cyprus has been at the crossroads of the ancient and modern world for millennia. Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Venetians, Ottomans, and the British Empire each left their mark on this island in the eastern Mediterranean before Cyprus became an independent republic in 1960. Its stamps reflect that layered history in a way few countries can match — Neolithic artifacts, Byzantine icons, ancient shipwrecks, and Queen Elizabeth II all sharing a catalog.

The stamps of Cyprus are inscribed in three languages: Greek (ΚΥΠΡΟΣ), Turkish (KIBRIS), and English (CYPRUS) — a reminder of the island's multicultural identity, and a distinctive feature that makes Cyprus stamps immediately recognizable in any collection.

Selections will vary, but here are some stamps and topics you may find in your packet:

• Queen Elizabeth II & the Beach of Aphrodite (20 Mils) — Issued as part of Cyprus's British colonial definitive series, it pairs a portrait of the young Queen with a view of the legendary rocky shoreline at Petra tou Romiou — where, according to Greek mythology, Aphrodite herself rose from the sea. The juxtaposition of modern monarchy and ancient myth on a single stamp is quintessentially Cypriot.
• The Kyrenia Ship (15m — ΚΥΠΡΟΣ) — a stamp depicting one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. In 1965, a Greek-Cypriot diver discovered a 4th-century BC Greek merchant vessel lying on the seabed near Kyrenia, its hull still largely intact after 2,300 years. Excavated between 1967 and 1969, the Kyrenia ship was carrying 381 amphoras of wine, oil, and almonds — along with 9,000 preserved almonds — when she sank. It remains on display at the Ancient Shipwreck Museum in Kyrenia Castle. Cyprus chose this ship as a national symbol, and it appears on Cypriot euro coins to this day.
• Byzantine icon — Christ Pantocrator (15 — ΚΥΠΡΟΣ/CYPRUS/KIBRIS) and 7th-century BC chalice (ΚΥΠΡΟΣ/CYPRUS/KIBRIS) — two stamps from Cyprus's post-independence definitives that showcase the island's extraordinary artistic heritage. The Byzantine icon reflects Cyprus's deep Orthodox Christian tradition and its remarkable collection of medieval religious art. The ancient chalice, labeled "7th Cent. B.C.," draws from Cyprus's pre-Hellenic archaeological record — artifacts that now reside in the Cyprus Museum and in collections around the world.

Twenty-five stamps from an island where ancient mythology and living history share the same shores. Every packet is different — order today and see what you get.