IRAQI COINS & CURRENCY
Armies have been fighting over what is now Iraq for much of the
areas long history. We are pleased to offer this selection
of coins from this historic and bloody land.
BEAUTIFUL
HIGH-GRADE UMAYYAD SILVER DIRHAMS
The
Umayyad (Omayyad) Empire was first and greatest of the Muslim Empires,
stretching from Afghanistan to southern France. The principal
mint for
silver Dirhems for the empire was in Wasit, in what is now Iraq. We are
pleased to offer two outstanding silver Umayyad Dirhems: Caliph
Sulayman (Suleiman) reigned briefly from 715 to 717AD. His army
suffered heavy losses in an unsuccessful attempt to conquer
Contstantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, in 717AD. Under
the reign of Caliph Hisham, who ruled from 724 to 743AD,
the
Empire reached its greatest extent, when the Muslim advance into Europe
was finally decisively halted at Poitiers, France in 732AD.
Unlike
many later Islamic issues, the coins were well struck. In keeping with
Islamic tradition, the coins do not have any images but instead feature
beautiful calligraphy of Islamic invocations of Faith. The coins grade
Very Fine or better.
Item
C-UMM-SUL UMAYYAD SILVER DIRHAM, SULAYMAN 715-717AD
XF $37.50
Item
C-UMM-HISHAM UMAYYAD SILVER DIRHEM OF HISHAM 724-743AD
VF $27.50
THE COINS OF SADDAM
This attractive set includes the 5, 10, 25 and 50 Fils coins of Iraq
dating
from 1975 to 1990, while Iraq was under the control of Saddam
Hussein..
In 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait, sparking the First Gulf War. No further
Iraqi
coins were issued for circulation until the recent Iraqi elections due
to
United Nations sanctions and the subsequent invasion by the United
States.
The coins feature a plantation of Date Palms. The 5 and 10 Fils
have
scalloped edges and are struck in Stainless Steel. All four coins
are
Uncirculated.
Item L-IQ-SET4 IRAQ 4 COIN SET 1975-1990
UNC.
$4.75
Item L-IQ-SET4x10 10
of the above IRAQ 4 COIN SETS, UNC. $37.50
GULF WAR NOTES OF IRAQ
We are pleased to offer two Iraq notes that were issued during
and immediately after the First Gulf War. The 1990 25 Dinar note
was introduced at the time of the First Gulf War. It pictures three
Arabian horses on the front and the Abbaside Palace on the back. At the
time, the note was the highest denomination in circulation at the time.
and had an official exchange rate of over $75! In 1990 the
previous 25 Dinar note was rapidly withdrawn, demonitized and replaced
with this in order to "discourage hoarding and currency
speculation". Declaring its currency to be worthless was also a
cheap way for the Iraq government to try to finance its war effort.
The second note is the 1995 250 Dinar note picturing Saddam
Hussein. Inflation was taking a serious toll on Iraq, so this
new, higher denomination was needed. At the time it was issued,
it was the higherst denomination in circulation. The reverse of the
note shows the Friese from the Liberty Monument in Baghdad.
Because of the United Nations embargo, the notes were
printed locally on an offset press and lacked the anti-counterfeiting
devices found on most banknotes today. Both
notes are Uncirculated, and
make quite an interesting set.
Item PM-IQ74 IRAQ 25 DINARS 1990 HORSES -
GULF WAR
ISSUE (P74) CU $2.00
Item
PM-IQ85 IRAQ 250 DINARS 1995 SADDAM (P85) CU $2.50
Item PM-IQ85x10 10 of the
above IRAQ 250 DINARS NOTES, CU $15.00
SADDAM'S
LAST BANKNOTE - 10,000 DINARS 
This 10,000 Dinar note dated 2002 was
the final note issued by Saddam before he was driven from power by the
United States. At that time, it was the highest denomination note
ever issued by Iraq! Though the note had an official
exchange rate of over $35,000, the people of Iraq had lost faith in
Saddam's government, inflation was out of control, and in reality the
note had little buying power. The front of bears a portrait of
Saddam and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The reverse portrays
Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad and a medieval Arabic astrolabe.
The university, one of the oldest in the world, was founded in the 13th
century. Because Iraq was under United Nations sanctions at the time,
the note was printed locally using the equipment and supplies
available. As a result, the note is lithographed, rather than
engraved, and is rather crude compared to modern United States or
European currency. Though crude, the note is genuine. This
colorful, high-denomination, Crisp Uncirculated note
is a reminder of Saddam's failed regime.
Item PM-IQ89 IRAQ 10,000 DINARS NOTE, 2002, (P89) CU
$3.95
U.S.
OCCUPATION NOTES FOR IRAQ
Iraq recently released new currency to replace the existing notes
picturing Saddam Hussein and the older notes that circulated in the
Kurdish areas. In order to accelerate the introduction of the new
notes, the new notes simply reused designs that had been used on
earlier pre-Saddam issues, changing only the denomination, color
and date of the note. The new 50 Dinar note features a ship being
loaded with grain from elevators on one side of the note and palm trees
on the other. The design was originally used on the 1973 1/4
Dinar. The 250 Dinars note features a medieval astrolabe on one
side and the ancient Minaret of Samaria on the other. The design
is taken from the 1/2 Dinar notes issued in 1980 and 1993. The
new 1000 Dinars note shows a medieval Abbasid gold Dinar and the
Musanteriah School in Baghdad. The Abbasid gold Dinar was one of
the most widely trusted currencies in the world during the 8th and 9th
centuries. The design comes from the 1 Dinar note issued from
1979 to 1992. All three notes are dated 2003. The new notes
have been widely accepted within Iraq and the value of the Iraqi Dinar
has climbed substantially against the dollar.
Item PM-IQ-2003 SET OF 3 NEW IRAQ NOTES, 50, 250
and 1000 DINARS 2003 CU $5.00
Item PM-IQ-1000D IRAQ 1000 DINARS 2003 picturing
gold coin from above set CU $2.50
RECENT 3 COIN SET FROM IRAQ
Iraq released three 2004 dated
coins: a 25, 50 and 100 Dinar. They are the first coins issued
since for circulation since the First Gulf War in 1990 and were issued
as part of America’s plan to bring stability to the country. The
coins have a very simple design. One side shows a map of Iraq,
showing the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the date in both the AH and
AD Calendar. The other side shows the denomination and
inscriptions in Arabic. The 25 Dinars is copper plated-steel, the
50 Dinars is brass plated steel and the 100 Dinar is nickel-plated
steel.
Item
IQ-SET3 IRAQ 25, 50 & 100 DINAR COINS 2004, UNC.
$3.50
FIRST COINS OF
KURDISTAN
The Kurds are an ethnic group divided between Iraq,
Turkey,
Syria
and
Iran. For centuries they have
dreamed of having an independent homeland, however each time the dream
has been thwarted. An independent Kurdistan was promised after
World War I, however instead
their land was divided between Turkey and Iraq. After the First
Gulf
War in 1991 the Kurds in Iraq were granted a large degree of autonomy
under
the United Nations. They even used a different currency than the
rest
of Iraq, called the Swiss Dinar. Many Kurds in Iraq were
expecting
to gain full independence with the fall of Saddam Hussein in
2003.
Several overseas Kurdish groups authorized the issuance of coins for
what
they expected would be a new independent nation after the fall of
Saddam.
However, the Turks feared that an independent Kurdistan in Iraq would
further
the demands of the Kurds within Turkey for more autonomy. They
strongly objected to an autonomous Kurdistan within Iraq and threatened
an invasion. The United States agreed with Turkey, so plans for
an independent Kurdistan have once again been quashed. The
first coins however were still issued. The coins feature the Kurds
historic past and wildlife native to their homeland. The 1
Dinar showing the most famous Kurd of all time,
Saladin. Salidin founded the
powerful Ayyubid dynasty and ruled from 1169 to 1193. His
diplomatic skills, backed by well-disciplined army enabled him to gain
control of
Egypt,
Palestine and
Syria from Islamic as well as Christian
opponents. Even his opponents admired him for his chivalry,
justice
and piety. The 1 Dinar is struck in bronze-plated zinc, a
material
similar to that used in the current U.S. cent, has an authorized
mintage
of only 5,000 pieces. The 10 Dinars coin
pictures
the native Persian Fallow Deer and has an authorized mintage of
only
10,000 pieces
. The coin is struck on nickel plated
bronze. The silver proof 100 Dinar shows the Lesser Kestrel, a
small bird of prey from the Falcon family
that is native to Kurdistan. It has an authorized mintage of only 800
pieces.
The gold proof 1000 Dinar features Saladin riding a horse carrying a
Kurdish
flag. It is struck in 22 Karat gold and contains just slighly
under
a half ounce of pure gold. Only 98 pieces were struck of this
attractive
gold coin. The 10 Dinar is 39mm (silver dollar size) while the
other
denominations are 27mm in diameter. Mountains have figured
prominently
in Kurdish lore, so the reverse of all the coins features four mountain
peaks,
which also represents the four nations with major Kurdish
populations.
Above the mountains is a 21-rayed rising sun, which is a traditional
Kurdish
symbol predating the nations conversion to Islam. The legends are in
the
two main dialects of Kurdish: Sorani and Kurmanji. A
portion
of the authorized mintages of the 1 and 10 Dinars were distributed in
Iraqi
held portions of Kurdistan. The 100 and 1000 Dinars are Proof-only
issues,
so are not expected to circulate. These are beautiful and intriguing
coins
coin from a new nation that has yet to be born.
Item L-KURD1 KURDISTAN 1 DINAR 2003, SALADIN (Br.X1.2)
UNC. sold
out
Item L-KURD10 KURDISTAN 10 DINARS 2003, FALLOW
DEER (Br.X2,2), UNC. $8.50
Item L-KURD100 KURDISTAN 100 DINARS 2003, KESTREL,
SILVER PROOF (Br.X3) sold
out
Item L-KURD1000 KURDISTAN 1000 DINARS 2003, SALADIN, GOLD
PROOF (Br.X4) sold out
Item L-KURDSET SET OF ABOVE 4 KURDISTAN
COINS sold out
RARE SPELLING ERROR ON KURDISTAN COIN
In expectation of Kurdistan gaining independence from Iraq after the
second Gulf War, Kurdish groups in exile authorized the first modern
coins of Kurdistan. When the initial 1 and 10 Dinar coins were
struck, Kurdish officials discovered that the name of the country was
misspelled using the Arabic alphabet. To the untrained eye, the
difference is that the correct version has two
squiggly marks in the bottom of the legend on the coin while the error
version
has only one mark. Only 300 pieces of each of the error version
were
struck. A new die was prepared and a corrected version was
issued.
Unfortunately the United States did not allow Kurdish independence, so
this
remains a government in exile issue. The 10 Dinar coins are 39mm in
diameter,
are struck in copper-nickel and picture a Persian Fallow Deer. It has a
catalog
value of $45.00, however our price is MUCH less. The 1 Dinar coins are
27mm
in diameter, are struck in bronze-plated zinc (similar to the U.S.
cent)
and picture Saladin on horseback
carrying
a modern Kurdish flag. It has a catalog value of $35.00, however our
price
is MUCH less.
Item KURD10ERR KURDISTAN 10 DINARS 2003 ERROR
VERSION, (Br.X2.1) UNC. $15.00
Item KURD1ERR KURDISTAN 1 DINAR 2003, ERROR
VERSION (Br.X1.1), UNC. $12.50
KURDISTAN COIN SET
Kurdistan is not (yet) a country; it is still divided between Iraq,
Turkey, and Syria, however that has not stopped it from issuing
coins. This latest set of seven base metal coins is quite
attractive. The five lower denominations feature native wildlife. The
copper 25 Dinar shows a Grey Partridge. The brass 50 Dinars
pictures a European Grey Heron, The copper-nickel 100 Dinar shows a Red
Fox. The eight-sided copper-nickel 250 Dinars shows a Eurasian
Lynx. The copper-nickel 500 Dinar shows a wild goat. The
1000 Dinar shows Mustafa Barzani, a charismatic Kurdish nationalist
leader who died in 1979. The 2500 Dinar is an attractive
and unusual square bi-metallic coin with a copper outer ring and a
brass inner plug. It features an oil refinery in Kirkuk. We offer
this coin individually and as part of the complete set. All coins are
dated 2006 and feature the Kurdish arms featuring the sun over the
mountains on the reverse.
Item KURD-SET7 KURDISTAN 7 COIN SET 25-2500 DINARS,
2006
UNC. sold out, trying
to get more
Item KURD-2500 KURDISTAN SQUARE BIMETAL 2500 DINARS
from
the above set,
UNC $9.95
Item KURD2500x5 5 OF THE ABOVE KURDISTAN 2500 DINARS,
UNC. $37.50
NOTE: All
pictures are of a typical item taken
from stock. Because we have multiples of most items, the item you
receive may not look exactly the same as the picture, however it will
be as described.
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