Kuwait AH 1401/1981 5 fils
This specimen was lot 73106 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Santa Ana, CA, June 2020), where it sold for $204. The catalog description[1] noted, "KUWAIT. 5 Fils, 1981. Kings Norton Mint. PCGS SPECIMEN-66 Gold Shield. With only a small handful graded finer in the PCGS population report, this alluring specimen presents tremendous radiance and brilliance shimmering with a delightful cartwheel nature. Ex: Kings Norton Mint Collection." Kuwait, a sheikhdom on the Persian Gulf, was long under the domination of the Ottoman Turks. As the Turkish grip relaxed in the late nineteenth century, Kuwait fell under the "protection" of Great Britain, which used it as a base until 1961, when British troops evacuated and Kuwait was granted independence. The modern coinage dates from that time, wherein 1000 fils = 1 dinar. The boat pictured on the obverse is a dhow, the wooden sailing ship common in the Gulf. This type was struck 1962-97. Its catalog value is low and only the King's Norton mint provenance saved it from being tossed into a junk box.
Recorded mintage: 7,000,000.
Specification: 2.50 g, nickel-brass, 19.5 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 10.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The June 2020 Collector's Choice sale: World and Ancient Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2020.
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