I'm surprised that the mils coins were included, or that they circulated together, because the coin designs were changed in 1986.
Here are the coins of my 1986 proof set:
1 cent. Weasel.
2 cents. Olive branch.
5 cents. Fresh water crab.
10 cents. Dolphin fish.
25 cents. The Ghirlanda plant.
50 cents. The Tulliera plant.
1 lira. The Merill (blue rock thrush), Malta's national bird.
And here are the coins of my 1972 proof set:
2 mils. Maltese Cross.
3 mils. Bee and honey comb.
5 mils. Earthen lampstand.
1 cent. George Cross.
2 cents. Penthesilea, Queen of the Amazons.
5 cents. Floral altar in the Temple of Hagar Qim.
10 cents. Barge of the Grand Master.
50 cents. Great Siege Monument, portraying three deities.
So if the mils coins were still issued after 1986, I'm surprised that the Maltese didn't change THEIR designs too. Or maybe they were planning to phase them out, originally?
Anyway, the new designs after 1986 were also attractive ones. I particularly liked the weasel and the crab.