PMG-certified Banknotes Pedigreed to Iraqi Official in Noonans Auction

A pair of rare banknotes that once belonged to a high-ranking Iraqi Treasury official are among the fascinating items certified by Paper Money Guaranty® (PMG®) in an upcoming sale. Online bidding is already underway for the Noonans auction of world banknotes that will be held on November 29-30, 2023.

Included in this auction are two notes that were once presented to Abraham Elkabir, who served as Iraq’s first Director-General of Finance from 1927 to 1948. Elkabir, who passed away in 1973, represented Iraq at important international gatherings, including the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944.

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The two notes are an Iraq, Government of Iraq 1931 (ND 1941) 100 Fils Specimen graded PMG 25 Very Fine (lot 499), with a starting price of £50,000 (about $62,000), and an Iraq, Government of Iraq 1931 (ND 1944) 50 Fils Specimen graded PMG 35 Choice Very Fine (lot 500) with a starting price of £30,000 (about $37,000). Both show a young Faisal II, the last king of Iraq, whose reign began in 1939 at age 3 after his father died in a car crash.

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Andrew Pattison, who leads Noonans Banknote Department, described the 100 Fils as “an almost mythical banknote; it has never been offered at auction before and is unlikely to ever come up again. Only a single low-grade example is believed to have survived. For dedicated collectors of Iraq, this auction represents the only chance to complete the Iraq series once and for all.”

Other PMG-certified notes in this auction include:

• a Straits Settlements ND (1890-1903) 5 Dollars Specimen graded PMG 65 Gem Uncirculated EPQ and pedigreed to the Peter Holland Collection (lot 904) with a starting price of £12,000 (about $15,000)
• a Sweden, Sveriges Riksbank 1939 10,000 Kronor graded PMG 55 About Uncirculated EPQ and pedigreed to the Peter Holland Collection (lot 907) with a starting price of £10,000 (about $12,000)
• a French India 1875 10 Roupies Specimen graded PMG 65 Gem Uncirculated EPQ and pedigreed to the Peter Holland Collection (lot 353) with a starting price of £8,000 (about $10,000)
• a Malaya / British Administration 1942 (ND 1943) 50 Dollars Specimen graded PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated and pedigreed to the Peter Holland Collection (lot 597) with a starting price of £8,000 (about $10,000)
• a Russia, State Credit Note 1882-94 100 Rubles graded PMG 30 Very Fine (lot 807) with a starting price of £8,000 (about $10,000)
• a Ceylon, Oriental Bank Corporation 1870-81 5 Rupees graded PMG 15 Choice Fine and pedigreed to the Peter Holland Collection (lot 247) with a starting price of £6,000 (about $7,000)
• a Ceylon, Oriental Bank Corporation 1883 10 Rupees Specimen graded PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated and pedigreed to the Peter Holland Collection (lot 248) with a starting price of £6,000 (about $7,000)
• a China, Sino-Belgian Bank 1904-12 5 Mexican Dollars graded PMG 30 Very Fine (lot 262) with a starting price of £6,000 (about $7,000)

Starting prices are provided by the auction house. The $ symbol represents US Dollars.