Catalog
10 Dinars
| Issuer | Central Bank of Kuwait |
|---|---|
| Year | 1980-1991 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dinar (1960-1990 and 1991-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The central vignette presents a traditional Arabian ocean-going boum (dhow) in full sail, rendered in green intaglio engraving, set against a calm sea with stylised wave underprint at the lower border. Elaborate guilloche rosettes containing the numeral 10 appear in the lower-left and upper-right corners, while a multicoloured geometric Islamic star motif is positioned at the lower centre-right. The issuing authority name and denomination appear in English along the upper and lower registers respectively. |
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| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Dhow (Arab sailing vessel) |
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| Comments |
When Iraqi forces occupied Kuwait in August 1990, they looted the Central Bank's vaults and removed substantial stocks of unissued currency — including notes from this series bearing serial prefix denominators 72 and 82. Those stolen notes subsequently circulated inside Iraq and appeared across regional markets, making authentication of this pick genuinely consequential rather than academic. Kuwait's post-liberation currency reform in 1991 rendered the entire series demonetized, which was precisely the mechanism intended to neutralize the looted stock.
Thomas De La Rue's production records for this issue were among the evidence used to distinguish legitimate pre-invasion holdings from the stolen material.