Catalog
1/2 Dinar
| Issuer | Central Bank of Kuwait |
|---|---|
| Year | 1980-1991 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The Kuwaiti national emblem — a golden falcon (Hawk of Quraish) with a Boom dhow sailing vessel on its breast — is the central vignette, flanked by the Kuwait Towers to one side. The note carries two manuscript signatures, those of Governor Salem Abdul Aziz Sa'ud al-Sabah and Minister of Finance Mohammed al-Kharafi, set against a multicolour guilloche underprint. |
|---|---|
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| Protection description | Dhow (traditional Arab sailing vessel) watermark visible when held to light |
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| Comments |
When Iraqi forces occupied Kuwait in August 1990, they looted the Central Bank's vaults and removed substantial quantities of unissued notes — including examples from this series carrying serial number prefix denominators between 30 and 37. Those notes subsequently appeared in circulation within Iraq, used as an impromptu source of hard currency. The Kuwaiti government invalidated the entire P#12 series after liberation in 1991, rendering all denominator prefixes equally void regardless of origin, but the stolen range remains the focus of collector scrutiny.
Notes with prefix denominators below 30 saw legitimate issue; those in the 30–37 band did not.