Kuwait gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1961 and immediately began issuing banknotes. Unlike most other countries in the region, even the first issues of Kuwait banknotes are not priced out of most collectors’ ranges. Rare Kuwait banknotes are fun to hunt for and often feature some very interesting and unique designs. This is a quick and handy guide to the collectible paper money of Kuwait.
Kuwait is a small country near Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. If you enjoy getting banknotes from those and other Middle Eastern areas, starting a collection of Kuwaiti banknotes may well be just the thing your collection is looking for.
Earliest Kuwait Banknotes, 1961
The first issue of Kuwait banknotes used, as they still do, a currency system of dinars and fils.
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1 dinar (plural dinars) = 1000 fils (singular also fils)
There were five banknotes in this first 1961 issue:
- 1/4 dinar
- 1/2 dinar
- 1 dinar
- 5 dinars
- 10 dinars
Each of these notes has ornate borders in its design, a portrait and a watermark of the Emir, and some English on the reverse side. The English makes it easy to identify these banknotes as being from Kuwait; the most prominent phrase is Kuwait Currency Board. The 1/4-dinar note uses the full English word for the face value – Quarter dinar – and the 1/2-dinar note similarly uses Half dinar. All of this English script uses a casual, quirky italic serif typeface.
Central Bank of Kuwait Banknotes, 1968
The issuing authority had its name changed to Central Bank of Kuwait and a new series of five notes was issued in 1968 bearing this legend in English on the reverse. The Emir now sports a mustache. For a second 1968 series the image of the Emir is gone, replaced by local Kuwait scenes and buildings. A 20-dinar note was added to the above face values for this issue.
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Kuwait Banknotes After the Gulf War
Following the invasion of Iraq and the Gulf War, Kuwait declared that all previously-issued banknotes were now worthless and a new series was released. The same six denominations (1/4 dinar to 20 dinars) were included.
For a new 1994 issue of all Kuwaiti currency notes, above Central Bank of Kuwait (which was now being written in a variety of daring and ornate scripts) the new phrase We Seek God’s Assistance appeared. This was removed from subsequent issues, and more recent Kuwait banknotes have toned down the fanciness of the English text on the reverse.
Collector’s Kuwaiti Banknotes
In 1993 and again in 2001, Kuwait issued a single 1-dinar collectors’ banknote. These two pieces, each made of polymer with an attractive window with silver foil, commemorate the end of the Gulf War with Iraq. These notes were not legal tender, and an English blurb at the bottom states this.
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Collecting Kuwait Banknotes Now
Kuwait’s banknotes are some of the easier ones to collect from the Middle East. There are just enough varieties and issues to keep the collector interested, and plenty of signature varieties and even some withdrawn notes to spice up this corner of the hobby. Recent issues are especially easy to find (depending on the variety and condition you like) and even older Kuwait notes can be attainable for most.
