10 Fils Ishtar Gate, Magnetic

Iraq introduced this stainless steel magnetic issue in 1982 as part of a coinage reform that shifted smaller denominations away from bronze and copper-clad steel. The switch was partly logistical — stainless steel held up better in the intense heat and dust of the Gulf region — but also reflected the currency rationalization underway as the country funneled oil revenues into the Iran-Iraq War, then entering its third year. Everyday coinage kept circulating while the economy bent under wartime pressure.