Bahrain banknotes have been issued since the 1960s, and consist of a few different issues over the ensuing decades. Collecting rare Bahrain banknotes can be fun and doesn’t have to break the bank of most buyers, nor is it unfeasible to get complete sets from certain years (or even every available note).
The Early History of Bahraini Paper Money
Early banknotes intended for use in Bahrain were a set of rupee notes from the 1950s issued by the Reserve Bank of India. These “Gulf rupees” were used in not only Bahrain, but also Oman, Qatar, and the Trucial States (modern United Arab Emirates). These are quite rare, but not impossible to find for sale.
True Bahrain Banknotes: 1964 – Now
Although still a British Protectorate, the Persian Gulf islands called Bahrain began issuing its own banknotes in 1964. These notes used as their currency the dinar (دينار). Unusually, the dinar was divided not into 100 subunits, but 1,000. The subunit was called fils (فلس).
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1 dinar = 1,000 fils
Note that “fils” is not a plural, and there isn’t a plural for the unit: it’s “one fils” or “one billion fils”. Dinars and fils are still the units used in Bahrain to this day.
1964 Bahrain Currency Board Issue
These notes are easy to identify for Western collectors. The English phrase BAHRAIN CURRENCY BOARD appears on the reverse of each note, along with the value. The obverse features Arabic only. To get a complete set of these 1964 issues, you’ll need these:
- 100 fils
- 1/4 dinar (i.e., 250 fils)
- 1/2 dinar (i.e., 500 fils)
- 1 dinar
- 5 dinars
- 10 dinars
The 5 and 10 dinars notes may be pricier than the others in this set. Rare specimens exist for each of the Bahrain Currency Board notes of 1964. Except for a collector’s specimen set from 1978 (see below), this set was the final that used Bahrain’s fils unit.
Bahrain Coins: Simple Rarities from the Middle East
1973 Bahrain Monetary Agency Issue
Bahrain gained its independence in 1971, and its first currency notes after this came two years later. Again, though the issuing authority has changed its name, it still appears in English on the reverse of the notes, as BAHRAIN MONETARY AGENCY.
- 1/2 dinar
- 1 dinar
- 5 dinars
- 10 dinars
- 20 dinars (two different designs, neither much rarer than the other, exist)
Except for the two lowest-valued notes, the paper money in this 1973 series is somewhat rare and will take some patience to get a good deal on a full set, if you’re piecing one together.
1978 Collector Series Issue
This set of special collectors’ notes can be identified by the English word SPECIMEN overprinted on them, and by the small Maltese cross (✠) that precedes the serial number.
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- 100 fils
- 1/4 dinar
- 1/2 dinar
- 1 dinar
- 5 dinars
- 10 dinars
- 20 dinars
This is the only set to feature a note of each face value that has been used in Bahrain, from 100 fils to 20 dinars. It includes the last Bahrain paper money note to use fils.
The 1986 1/2 Dinar Note
In 1986, again emblazoned BAHRAIN MONETARY AGENCY, a 1/2-dinar note was issued. The next full set wouldn’t come for another seven years, however.
1993 Bahrain Monetary Agency Issue
Completing the work begun in 1986 perhaps, another full set of Bahrain currency notes, featuring new designs, was issued in 1993.
- 1 dinar
- 5 dinars
- 10 dinars
- 20 dinars*
* If you have a 20-dinar note from this set, look at the two Arabic characters that appear before the serial number. If they have an extra space between them, then the note is an unused and unauthorized note, an interesting curio currently valued for collectors at about $10.
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1996 1/2 Dinar Note
As it had ten years earlier, Bahrain updated its half-dinar banknote in 1996.
1998 Bahrain Monetary Agency Issue
The 1996 note was quickly replaced as part of a new full set in 1998:
- 1/2 dinar
- 1 dinar
- 5 dinars
- 10 dinars
- 20 dinars (again, two designs issued, with the purple variety being much more valuable than the orange and black one)
2007 20 Dinars Banknote
A single 20-dinar note was issued in 2001, the final Bahraini paper money to feature BAHRAIN MONETARY AGENCY.
2007 Central Bank of Bahrain Issue
A new issuing authority was used in 2007 for a new, updated set of Bahraini paper notes. With modern designs and attractive colors, these notes can generally be purchased at face value. On the back, in mixed-case English, you can see the legend Central Bank of Bahrain and the value. The name of the central bank in Arabic script, incidentally, is مصرف البحرين المركزي.
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- 1/2 dinar
- 1 dinar
- 5 dinars
- 10 dinars
- 20 dinars
2016 Central Bank of Bahrain Banknotes
Bahrain replaced its two highest-denomination notes in 2016 with upgraded security features.
- 10 dinars
- 20 dinars
The Bahrain Rare Paper Money Marketplace
Obtaining a full set of Bahrain banknotes, as mentioned above, is not out of the question for most collectors. Many sellers will offer multi-note bricks or complete sets form the various issues over the years. While the number of different pieces is manageable for lovers of Bahrain’s banknotes, there is still enough variety that choosing your favorites and watching sales lists is still an absorbing and rewarding experience.
