Item number: A4739

Reference number: KM#11; Schön#10

Year: AD 1971

Material: Nickel-Brass

Size: 20.8 x 20.8 x 1.5 mm

Weight: 3.8 g

Manufactured by: Royal Mint, Llantrisant, United Kingdom

Provenance: Xiang Yun Antique 2026

This is a nickel-brass coin with a denomination of 10 fils, issued by the Kuwait Currency Board. One thousand fils are equivalent to one Kuwaiti dinar.

Both the obverse and reverse are bordered by a raised rim enclosing inward-pointing denticles designed to protect the relief. The centre of the obverse depicts an Arabian dhow (داو, dhow), a vessel historically sailed extensively across the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, symbolising the maritime traditions and commercial heritage of Kuwait. Below the dhow, the Arabic-Indic numerals ‘١٣٩٠–١٩٧١’ are arranged in an exergual arc, recording the year of mintage in both the Gregorian year AD 1971 and the Hijri year AH 1390.

At the centre of the reverse is the Arabic inscription ‘١٠ فلس’, signifying the denomination ‘10 fils’. Arranged along the upper perimeter is the Arabic legend ‘ٱلْكُوَيْت’ (al-Kuwayt), complemented along the lower perimeter by the English designation ‘KUWAIT’, both representing the official name of the state.

In approximately AD 1740, tribes migrating from the eastern Arabian Peninsula established the town of Kuwait, and the Al Sabah dynasty inaugurated its continuous rule under Sheikh Sabah I in AD 1752. Functioning as a regional entrepôt devoid of indigenous coinage, Kuwait relied for an extended period upon foreign metallic currency; around AD 1752, the distinct hairpin-shaped currency known as the Tawilah al-Hasa, issued by the Bani Khalid tribe, began circulating locally. Circa AD 1790, high-purity Austrian Maria Theresa thalers entered the local market, becoming the principal medium for major commercial transactions and capital reserves, whilst Persian shahis and qirans, alongside Ottoman gold coinage and silver kurush, circulated as supplementary denominations. During the reign of Sheikh Jaber I in AD 1830, the Indian rupee was formally introduced into local trade, progressively establishing monetary dominance. Although Sheikh Abdullah II attempted to issue hand-hammered copper coins designated the ‘Kuwaiti baiza’ in AD 1886, this initiative was abandoned within months owing to the absence of reserve backing. To counter the threat of Ottoman annexation, Sheikh Mubarak concluded an agreement with Great Britain in AD 1899, establishing Kuwait as a British protectorate.

Throughout the protectorate era, the Kuwaiti market accommodated successive variants of the Indian rupee, including those bearing the effigies of Queen Victoria, Edward VII (which marked the initial circulation of banknotes), George V, and George VI, followed by the post-independence Ashoka Lion Capital series. Following the discovery of petroleum deposits during the AD 1930s and AD 1940s and the inaugural commercial export of crude oil in AD 1946, the fundamental structure of Kuwait’s economy was completely transformed. In AD 1959, the abrupt introduction of the ‘Gulf rupee’ by the Reserve Bank of India to curb gold smuggling accelerated Kuwait’s transition towards an autonomous monetary system. In October AD 1960, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim promulgated Law No. 41, establishing the Kuwait Currency Board; Kuwait subsequently terminated the protectorate treaty to achieve full independence on 19 June AD 1961. Prior to this, on 1 April AD 1961, the sovereign national currency, the Kuwaiti dinar, was officially released, supplanting foreign currencies at a fixed parity of one dinar to 13.33 Gulf rupees (equating to 75 fils per rupee), alongside the release of six standard coin denominations: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 fils.

On 2 August AD 1990, Iraqi armed forces invaded and occupied Kuwait, subsequently declaring its annexation as an Iraqi province. On 7 October AD 1990, the occupying regime revoked the legal tender status of the Kuwaiti dinar, plundered the central bank vaults, and coerced residents into exchanging their currency for Iraqi dinars at a 1:1 ratio. In response to United Nations resolutions, an international coalition led by the United States launched military operations on 17 January AD 1991, successfully liberating Kuwait City on 27 February AD 1991. Following the reinstatement of the legitimate Kuwaiti government, the legal tender status of the Kuwaiti dinar was formally restored on 24 March AD 1991, accompanied by the prompt issue of a new series of banknotes to withdraw and replace all looted or compromised currency, thereby reconstituting national financial sovereignty and economic order.

物件編號: A4739

參考書目編號: KM#11; Schön#10

年代: 公元 1971 年

材質: 鎳黃銅

尺寸: 20.8 x 20.8 x 1.5 mm

重量: 3.8 g

製造地: 蘭特里森特皇家造幣廠，英國

來源: 祥雲珍寶閣 2026

這是一枚科威特國貨幣局所發行的鎳黃銅硬幣，面額10費爾。1,000費爾（Fils）等於1科威特第納爾（Dinar）。

錢幣的正背面幣緣有邊環，邊環內側有細方齒向內，作保護幣圖之用。正面中央為歷史上在印度洋與紅海廣泛航行的阿拉伯帆船（داو, dhow），象徵著科威特的海洋傳統與貿易歷史。下方環列阿拉伯文數字「١٣٩٠-١٩٧١」，同時以公元1971年和伊曆1390年標註了鑄行年。

背面中央為阿拉伯文「١٠ فلس 」，即面額「10費爾」。上方環列阿文「ٱلْكُوَيْت」(Kuwayt)；下方環列英文「KUWAIT」，均為國號「科威特」。

約公元1740年，阿拉伯半島東部部落遷徙並建立科威特城，薩巴赫王朝則於公元1752年由謝赫沙巴一世開啟統治至今。當時作為無本土貨幣的港口，科威特長期依賴外來金屬貨幣；約於公元1752年，由巴尼哈立德部落發行的髮夾狀特殊貨幣「圖維拉哈薩」開始在當地流通。到了公元1790年前後，高純度的奧地利「瑪麗亞·特蕾莎泰勒」銀幣傳入，成為大宗商業與儲蓄的主要貨幣，同時波斯的沙希與克蘭幣、奧斯曼帝國的庫魯什銀幣與金幣亦作為補充貨幣使用。公元1830年謝赫賈比爾一世統治期間，印度盧比正式進入市場並逐步佔據主導地位。儘管謝赫阿卜杜拉二世曾於公元1886年試圖發行手工打製的「科威特貝扎」銅幣，但因缺乏儲備支持而迅速終止。為抵抗奧斯曼帝國吞併，謝赫穆巴拉克於公元1899年與英國簽署條約，使科威特成為英國保護國。

在英國保護國時期，科威特市場經歷了多種印度盧比版別的更替，包括維多利亞女王盧比、首度導入紙幣的愛德華七世盧比、喬治五世盧比、喬治六世盧比，以及印度獨立後的阿育王獅首盧比。隨著公元1930與1940年代石油資源的發現以及公元1946年首次石油出口，科威特的經濟型態發生了根本性變革。公元1959年印度儲備銀行突發性發行「海灣盧比」以遏止黃金走私，此舉促使科威特加速籌建獨立貨幣體系。公元1960年10月，謝赫阿卜杜拉·薩利姆頒布第41號法令成立科威特貨幣局；隨後科威特於公元1961年6月19日終止保護國條約正式獨立。在此之前的公元1961年4月1日，國家獨立貨幣「科威特第納爾」正式發行，以1第納爾兌換13.33海灣盧比（折合1盧比為75費爾）的固定匯率全面取代外幣，同時發行了1、5、10、20、50、100費爾等六種基礎硬幣面額。

公元1990年8月2日，伊拉克軍隊入侵並佔領科威特，隨後宣佈將其併吞為伊拉克的一個省份。伊拉克當局於公元1990年10月7日廢除科威特第納爾的法定貨幣地位，掠奪央行金庫並強迫居民以1:1的比例兌換為伊拉克第納爾。為響應聯合國決議，由美國領導的多國部隊於公元1991年1月17日展開軍事打擊，最終於公元1991年2月27日成功解放科威特城。科威特合法政府恢復運作後，於公元1991年3月24日宣佈重新恢復科威特第納爾的法定貨幣地位，並迅速發行新版紙鈔以全面替換被掠奪或失效的舊鈔，重塑了國家的金融主權與經濟秩序。