Catalog
10 Dinars
| Issuer | Central Bank of Iraq |
|---|---|
| Year | 1959 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dinar (1931-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The face is printed in violet and multicolour tones on an intricate guilloche underprint, with Arabic text at centre reading the denomination and bank name. A decorative sunburst vignette occupies the right panel, surrounded by ornate geometric border patterns. The serial number and fraction prefix appear at lower left and upper right, with a signature at lower centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | البنك المركزي العراقي عشرة دنانير ورقة نقدية قانونية من البنك المركزي العراق |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
This note was issued the year after the 1958 revolution that overthrew the Hashemite monarchy and killed King Faisal II. The new republic needed currency quickly, and the existing relationship with Bradbury Wilkinson — who had printed for the Iraqi state before the coup — continued without interruption. There was no time, and likely no political appetite, to commission an entirely new series from scratch.
Bradbury Wilkinson's New Malden facility produced work of consistently high intaglio quality during this period, and the 1959 Iraqi series is among their cleaner commissions. The watermark is the sole mechanical security feature — no security thread, no fluorescent elements — which reflects both the technology of the period and the relatively short intended lifespan of a transitional issue.
Pick 55 is not rare, but circulated examples in fine condition are harder to locate than the catalog frequency suggests.