Question about Saddam dinars

I recently acquired a set of Saddam dinar notes and while some of them
seem (for lack of a better term) money-like -- i.e. sharp watermarks,
fine engraving, cotton-feeling paper -- several others seem more like
counterfeits to my untrained eye. No watermarks (or an image faintly
printed in the watermark oval); the engraving seems less fine and the
printing blotchy; the paper doesn't feel soft, like cotton paper; the
serial numbers are stamped in slightly different spots than on some
pictures I've seen of the real thing.

Does the (old) Iraqi treasury just have poor printing standards, or am
I dealing with bogus notes?

particularly bad: 1991 & 1994 50-dinar, 1990 25-dinar; a 2002
100-dinar note has what appear to be blue threads printed on the note
instead of embedded in the paper

compared with high quality: 1986 & 1987 25-dinar

The previous issues, ie prior to the 1st Gulf War, were printed in Europe
and had higher printing standards. The later ones, ie post 1st Gulf War
were printed locally in Iraq, by the Iraqi Treasury and their crude printing
methods are readily apparent. As a result confidence in the Iraqi dinar
plummeted as counterfiets were quite common. Until recently there were two
currencies circulating in Iraq, the so call "Swiss Dinar" which was printed
prior to 1990 and only circulated in the Kurdish north, and the Republican,
ie post Gulf War crudely printed notes which circulated in the south.

The most recent ie late 2003 issue was printed by De La Rue and is
reflective of much higher printing standards.

Dave

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I recently acquired a set of Saddam dinar notes and while some of them
seem (for lack of a better term) money-like -- i.e. sharp watermarks,
fine engraving, cotton-feeling paper -- several others seem more like
counterfeits to my untrained eye. No watermarks (or an image faintly
printed in the watermark oval); the engraving seems less fine and the
printing blotchy; the paper doesn't feel soft, like cotton paper; the
serial numbers are stamped in slightly different spots than on some
pictures I've seen of the real thing.

Does the (old) Iraqi treasury just have poor printing standards, or am
I dealing with bogus notes?

particularly bad: 1991 & 1994 50-dinar, 1990 25-dinar; a 2002
100-dinar note has what appear to be blue threads printed on the note
instead of embedded in the paper

compared with high quality: 1986 & 1987 25-dinar


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