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The first coins were produced in Mesopotamia in the fourth century BC in imitation of Athenian Owl coins then circulating in the region. Under Alexander the great, and the Seleucids who followed him, Hellenistic silver tetradrachms and gold staters, as well as Persian gold double darics and silver staters were minted. The Parthians ruled Mesopotamia from 138 BC to 228 AD and issued Hellenistic type coins as did the Kings of Characene in southern Iraq.

The Sasanians ruled Iraq from the 220s to the Islamic conquest in the 620s and 630s. Initially, Islamic coins imitated Sasanian coins, but after 698 the coins had a purely inscriptional design. In 750 the first 'Abassid caliph, al-Saffah, defeated the Umayyads and transferred the Caliphate's capital from Damascus to Baghdad. The 'Abbassids issued copper fals, silver dirhem and gold dinars from Baghdad until the thirteenth century.

In 1055 the Turkish Seljuq sultan Tughril Beg from Iran established control over Iraq with the support of the 'Abbasid caliph al-Qa'im. The 'Abbasids regained some control over Iraq in the twelfth century, but in both cases, coins followed the 'Abbasid traditions. The Mongols captured Baghdad in 1258 and both the Ilkhanids and Jalayrid Mongols (1336-1432) issued coins with Mongolian and Arabic script. Despite incursions by Timur in 1400 and an Iranian invasion in 1504, the Ottomans finally established themselves in Iraq after Selim I captured Baghdad in 1514.

During the First World War, the Ottoman Empire sided with Germany and Austria-Hungary against the United Kingdom and its allies. British troops invaded from Persia and captured Baghdad on March, 11 1917. On 10 January 1919, the United Kingdom established Iraq, which had not previously existed as a separate nation, from three former Ottoman provinces. Iraq became a British mandate under the League of Nations. Iraq was a British protectorate until October 3, 1932 when it became an independent kingdom. Iraq became a republic in 1958.

Ottoman Empire Piastres (XOTP) were used in Iraq while it was part of the Ottoman Empire. The Piastre was divisible into 40 Paras and was issued by the Treasury. While Iraq was occupied by the British, Egyptian Pounds (EGP), issued by the National Bank of Egypt, and Indian Rupees (INR), issued by the Government of India, were used for currency. After gaining its independence in 1932, Iraq issued the Dinar (IQD), divisible into 5 Riyals, 20 Dirhams or 1000 Fils, at par with the British Pound Sterling and equal to 0.075 Indian Rupees. Banknotes were issued by the government from 1931 until 1947 through a currency board, linking the Dinar to the Pound Sterling at par, by the National Bank of Iraq from 1947 to 1958, and by the Central Bank of Iraq from July 1956 on.

Prior to the Persian Gulf War of 1991 the Swiss Dinar (so named due to its being printed in Switzerland) was the official currency for the whole of Iraq. After the imposition of sanctions at the end of the 1991 war, the Government of Iraq, unable to print money abroad, changed its currency to the locally produced Iraqi Dinar. The Swiss-printed Dinars were withdrawn from circulation within non-Kurdish Iraq between May 5, 1992 and May 10, 1992. Only 25 Dinar could be exchanged and any remaining Dinar became worthless. The three Northern Governorates of Iraq however, no longer under the control of the Government of Iraq from 1991 onwards, continued to utlize the Swiss Dinar.

The Iraq Central Bank printed banknotes to cover the government's deficit, causing a severe depreciation in the Dinar. In early 2003, the 'Swiss print' Dinar (IQDS) was trading at about 10 Dinars to the US Dollar, though the rate fluctuated between 7 and 12 Dinars to the US Dollar. When the United States replaced the Saddam and Swiss Dinars with new Dinars on October 15, 2003, the Saddam Dinars were exchanged at parity while the Swiss Dinars were exchanged at the rate of 150 new Dinars = 1 Swiss Dinar.

Note: The intracy of the designs, and the spectrum of colors on each note made it hard for my scanner to pick up all the light colors. So if a note looks to have alot of white space around the note, its probably my scanner not doing the best job. There were also a lot of color variation in the printing of notes.

The website on Islamic Bank Notes was most helpfull in helping me attribute the following notes!

This 1 Dinar note is dated AH1405 (1984). The note is green and blue-black on multicolored underprint. The center of the obverse shows a coin design. The reverse shows the Mustansiriyah School in Baghdad.

• Krause# Pick-P-69a
• Signature: #22 Hekemat M. Al-Azzawi

Note donated by R.R.

This is a 25 Dinar note, this one dated AH1406 (1986). The note is borwn, green and black on multicolored underprint. The obverse shows charging horsemen in the center, with Saddam Hussein to the right. The reverse shows a city gate to the left, with Martyr's monument in the center. This note has a watermark of Suddam Hussein.

• Krause# Pick-P-73
• Signature: #22 Hekemat M. Al-Azzawi

Here is another 25 Dinar note dated AH1411 (1990).This note is green underprint without pink highlights; black ink. The obverse depicts three arabian horses at the center, and the reverse shows Abbasid Palace. The note is a Lithograph without a watermark.

• Krause# Pick-P-74b
• Signature: #23 Subhi Nadhum Frankool

Here is another 25 Dinar note dated AH1411 (1990).This note has green and pink underprint, with pink highlights in design; brown ink. The obverse depicts three arabian horses at the center, and the reverse shows Abbasid Palace. The note is a Lithograph without a watermark.

• Krause# Pick-P-74c
• Signature: #23 Subhi Nadhum Frankool

This is a 50 Dinar note dated AH1411 (1991). The note is brown and blue-green on peach and multicolor underprint. The obverse features Saddam Hussein, and the reverse depicts the Minaret of the Great Mosque at Samarra ( a mosque located in the Iraqi city of Samarra, built in the 9th century). This note has lithograph styled printing.

• Krause# Pick-P-75
• Signature: #23 Subhi Nadhum Frankool

Here is a 1/4 Dinar note from the dated AH1413(1993). The note is green on multicolored underprint. The obverse of the note shows some palm tree in the center, while the reverse of the note shows an Iraqi building. The is a Lithograph note. There is a faint indelible ink watermark to the left of the obverse behind the serial. Signature variety 1.

• Krause# Pick-P-77
• Signature: #24 Tariq al-Tukmachi

Here is a 1/2 Dinar note dated AH1413 (1993). The note is brown on heavy blue underprint and dark colours. The obverse depicts the Astrolabe, a very ancient astronomical computer for solving problems relating to time and the position of the Sun and stars in the sky. The reverse shows the Minaret of Samarra. Signature variety 1.

• Krause# Pick-P-78a
• Signature: #24 Tariq al-Tukmachi

Here is a 1/2 Dinar note dated AH1413 (1993). The note is brown on light blue underprint (barely visible) and lighter colours. The obverse depicts the Astrolabe, a very ancient astronomical computer for solving problems relating to time and the position of the Sun and stars in the sky. The reverse shows the Minaret of Samarra. Signature variety 1.

• Krause# Pick-P-78b
• Signature: #24 Tariq al-Tukmachi

This is a 1 Dinar note dated AH1412 (1992). This note is green and blue-black on multicolored underprint. The center of the obverse shows a coin design. The reverse shows the Mustansiriyah School in Baghdad. Signature variety 1.

• Krause# Pick-P-79
• Signature: #24 Tariq al-Tukmachi

Here is a 5 Dinar note dated AH1412 (1992). This note is dull red-brown on pale orange, lilac and multicolored underprint. The obverse shows a temple in the center, with Saddam Hussein to the right. To the right of the reverse, Hammurbi is shown in conversation with the sun god Shamash, and to the center of the note, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

• Krause# Pick-P-80 (a,b or c)
• Signature: #24 Tariq al-Tukmachi

This is a 10 Dinar note dated AH1412 (1992). The note is purplish black, blue-green on multicolored underprint. The obverse a palace int he center background, and Saddam Hussein to the right. The reverse shows a statue of a winged beast from the palace complex of Sargon II at Khorsabad.

• Krause# Pick-P-81
• Signature: #24 Tariq al-Tukmachi

Here is a 50 Dinar note dated AH1414 (1994). This note is brown and pale green on multicolored underprint. The obverse depicts Suddam Hussein withan ancient Statuette and a monument. The reverse shows the 'Aljahad Project' double decker Saddam Bridge.

• PKrause# Pick-P-83
• Signature: #24 Tariq al-Tukmachi

Here is a 100 Dinar note dated AH1414 (1994). The note is dark blue on light blue and pale ochre underprint. The obverse features Suddam Hussein to the right and Al-Ukhether Castle in the center. The reverse shows the Baghdad clock. This note has a watermark of a Falcons head.

• Krause# Pick-P-84a2 [First diacritical mark in the text of the denomination is above the first letter. The note does not glow under UV light]
• Signature: #24 Tariq al-Tukmachi

Here is a 250 Dinar note dated AH1415 (1995). This note is lavander on blue and multicolored underprint. The obverse shows Suddam Hussein to the right and a hydro-electric dam in the center. The reverse depicts the freize (A decorative horizontal band, as along the upper part of a wall in a room) from the Liberty Monument.

• Krause# Pick-P-85a1 [First word of the text for the denomination has its second letters as a long 'a'. The note glows under UV light]
• Signature: #25 Isam Rasheed Hawaish

Here is a 250 Dinar note dated AH1415 (1995). This note is lavander on blue and multicolored underprint. The obverse shows Suddam Hussein to the right and a hydro-electric dam in the center. The reverse depicts the freize (A decorative horizontal band, as along the upper part of a wall in a room) from the Liberty Monument.

• Krause# Pick-P-85a2 [First word of the text for the denomination has its second letters as a long 'a'. The note does not glow under UV light]
• Signature: #25 Isam Rasheed Hawaish

This is a 25 Dinar note dated AH1422 (2001). The note is brown on light green underprint. The obverse of the note depicts Suddam Hussein. The reverse shows the Ishtar gate and the lion of Babylon

• Krause# Pick-P-86
• Signature: #25 Isam Rasheed Hawaish ?

This is a 100 Dinar note dated AH1422 (2002). This note is blue on blue and yellow underprint. The obverse depicts Suddam Hussein. The reverse shows the Shenashils or old Baghdad.

• Krause# Pick-P-87
• Signature: #25 Isam Rasheed Hawaish ?

This is a 250 Dianr note dated AH1422 (2002). The note is Purple on rose and blue underprint. The obverse features Suddam Hussein. The reverse shows the Dome of the Rock.

• Krause# Pick-P-88
• Signature: #25 Isam Rasheed Hawaish ?

Here is a 10,000 Dinar note dated AH1423 (2002). The obverse of the note Features Saddam Hussein tot he right, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to the left-center. The reverse depicts the Al-Mustansiriyah University in Baggdad to the left, and an Arabic Astrolobe to the right.

• Krause# Pick-P-89
• Signature: #25 Isam Rasheed Hawaish ?

Here is a 50 Dinar dollar dated AH1424 (2003). The note is purple on multicolored underprint. The reverse shows a grain silo, and the reverse shows date palms.

• Krause# Pick-P-90
• Signature: #26 Falih Dawood Salman (Deputy Governor)

This is a 250 Dinar note dated AH1424 (2003). The note is light and dark blue on multicolored underprint. The Obverse depicts an Arabic Astrolobe to the right. The reverse features the Minaret in Samarra.

• Krause# Pick-P-91
• Signature: #26 Falih Dawood Salman (Deputy Governor)

Here is a 1000 Dinar note dated AH1424 (2003). The note is Light and dark brown. The obverse features and ancient midieval coin in the center. The reverse depicts the Al-Mustansiriyah University in Baggdad.

• Krause# Pick-P-93
• Signature: #26 Falih Dawood Salman (Deputy Governor)

• Krause# Pick-P-