Iraqi Trial Notes at Auction

A full set of 1990 trial Central Bank of Iraq bank notes bearing a portrait of Saddam Hussein will be offered at a Noonans auction on May 27. Never issued due to the First Gulf War, the three trial notes are expected to fetch a total of £17,000 (US$22,860).

British printing firm De La Rue prepared this trio of notes for issue in 1990 or 1991. However, following Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, De La Rue refused to print bank notes for Iraq. These three Specimen notes featuring the Iraqi revolutionary were in the late stages of the design process when the order was put on hold by the war. 

The 5 and 10 dinars have been known for several years and are very rare, with 12 or less examples of each known. The 25 dinars was suspected to exist, but this is the first full printed note ever found. “As a truly new discovery, a remarkable thing in modern numismatics, it is sure to attract huge interest,” says Andrew Pattison, head of Noonans’ bank note department. 

To learn more about the auction, visit Noonan’s website.