Kuwait

Chapter overview

Authorities (catalogue numbers prefixed A)
Consular (catalogue numbers prefixed C)
Labels (catalogue numbers prefixed L)
Ministries (catalogue numbers prefixed M)
Revenue (catalogue numbers prefixed R)
Revenue stamps in sealed packs (catalogue numbers prefixed X)
Savings stamps (catalogue numbers prefixed S)
Semi-postal issues (catalogue numbers prefixed P)
University Revenue (catalogue numbers prefixed U)

Currency

(1947) 16 annas = 1 rupee
(1961) 1000 fils = 1 dinar

Acknowledgments
(see also main page for Yemen and the Arab Gulf States)

Thanks to Mr Mashad A Almajeri for supplying information on a number of Kuwait items, and to Jay Hickey for his images of the Free Kuwait labels.

Authorities

A1/5

1995 (earliest recorded usage). Arms of Kuwait. Inscribed AUTHORITIES in English at left. 21½ x 27 mm. Perf 14½ x 14. Arabic text watermark (sideways). Arms multicoloured, frame in gold, inscriptions in black. Background colours given.

   A1. 250f pale blue
   A2. 500f salmon-pink
   A3. 1d greenish yellow
   A4. 2d greenish blue
   A5. 10d greenish grey

Earliest recorded usage: July 1995 (A4).

Consular

C1/10

Earliest recorded usage: 500f used in October 1964

1964 (earliest recorded usage). Arms of Kuwait in ornate frame. 25½ x 21 mm. Perf 15 x 14. No watermark. Arms and inscriptions in black.

   C1. 5f grey
   C2. 10f orange
   C3. 20f violet
   C4. 50f brown-orange
   C5. 100f pale green
   C6. 250f red-orange
   C7. 350f grey-green
   C8. 500f pale brown
   C9. 750f bright yellow
   C10. 1d greyish blue

Labels

L1/5

1971 (earliest recorded usage). Palestinian propaganda labels depicting armed fighters in Arab headdress. Inscribed Kuwait at top in Arabic. 22 x 36 mm (5f to 50f), 100f taller. Perf 13½. No watermark. Multicoloured; frame colours given.

   L1. 5f brown-orange and blue-green
   L2. 10f blue and brown
   L3. 25f green and magenta
   L4. 50f orange-red and black
   L5. 100f pale blue and magenta

L11/12

1991. Arms and Flag of Kuwait. Inscribed Free Kuwait in Arabic at top and in English at foot. Multicoloured.

L11. [No value] Coat of Arms
L12. [No value] Flag

Ministries

M1/6

c1985 (according to Barefoot). Arms of Kuwait. Inscribed MINISTRIES in English at left. 21½ x 27 mm. Perf 14½ x 14. Arabic text watermark (sideways). Arms multicoloured, frame in gold, inscriptions in black. Background colours given.

   M1. 250f deep pink
   M2. 500f greenish yellow
   M3. 1d brown
   M4. 2d pale blue
   M5. 5d violet
   M6. 10d salmon

M13/14

1992 (earliest recorded usage). Arms of Kuwait (multicoloured) in green frame, with inscriptions in green and red. Similar to Revenue issue of 1982 but different size (21 x 28 mm) and additionally inscribed MINISTRIES in Arabic at left. Perf 13½. No watermark. Background colour (given below) extends into the margins.

M13. 5d pale violet
M14. 10d brown-orange

Note: for a similar design without Arabic inscription at left, see Revenue R22ff below.

Revenue

R1/4

1954 (earliest recorded usage). Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (sheikh of Kuwait 1921-1950). 25 x 35½ mm. Perf 11½. No watermark. Arabic inscription Financial Fee in lower panel in second colour given.

   R1. 1r purple-brown and black
   R2. 3r pale green and deep blue
   R3. 4r deep green and black
   R4. 7r carmine and black

R11/20

1977 (see footnote). New issue in decimal currency (fils and dinars). Oil wells and palm trees. Value in black. Background of fine mesh in second colour listed. Fils values 21½ x 31½ mm, perf 12 x 12½. Dinar values 26½ x 36½ mm, perf 13½ x 14. Grid-pattern (half check) watermark.

Courvoisier essays (see note 2)

R11. 5f brown and pale brown
   R12. 10f grey-blue and blue-green
   R13. 25f deep violet and violet
   R14. 50f red-orange and pale blue
   R15. 100f deep violet and salmon
   R16. 250f green and pale green
   R17. 500f carmine and pink
   R18. 1d scarlet and blue
   R19. 2d slate and pale blue
   R20. 5d green and rose

Notes:
1. A complete mint set of this issue is known on a record sheet from the printer's archive, which gives the following additional information:

Engraved and printed by De La Rue in Colombia
Original printing 1977; reprint (of unspecified values) in 1978 without change
Printed by intaglio and litho
Print quantities: 250f, 500f, 1d and 2d - 1,000,000 each; all other values 500,000 each

2. The archive of the Swiss printer Courvoisier SA contains a group of unadopted Kuwait revenue essays, presumably for the 1977 issue. The essays are in two different sizes (21 x 25½ mm and 24½ x 30 mm) as illustrated here and exist in a range of colour combinations.

R21/31

1982 (earliest recorded usage). Arms of Kuwait (multicoloured) in green frame, with inscriptions in green and red. 20½ x 25½ mm (fils values) or 23½ x 35 mm (dinar values). Perf 12. Arabic script watermark waraaqa maaliah (=financial paper). Dinar values printed in sheets of 50 (5 rows of 10). Background colour (given below) extends into the margins.

Earliest recorded usage: 1d used in 1982

R21. 5f pale blue
R22. 10f pale rose
R23. 25f yellow-green
R24. 50f yellow
R25. 100f blue-green
R26. 250f brown-orange
   R27. 500f slate-violet
   R28. 1d pale blue-green
   R29. 2d yellow-orange
   R30. 5d bright green
   R31. 10d pink

For a similar design with an additional Arabic inscription at left, see Ministries M13/14 above.

R32/40

1990 (earliest recorded usage). Arms of Kuwait in hologram, with ornate arch in colour stated. Imperf. No watermark. Self-adhesive. Two different formats:

a) Frame 23 x 35½ mm, hologram 16 mm across

   R32. 500f claret
   R33. 1d orange-brown

b) Frame 23 x 31½ mm, hologram 14 mm across

   R35. 250f scarlet
   R36. 500f claret
   R37. 1d orange-brown
   R38. 2d deep green
   R39. 5d deep blue
   R40. 10d pale grey-brown

Notes:
1. A correspondent has informed me that this issue was printed by Harrison & Sons.
2. Earliest recorded usage: July 1995 (R33).

R41/46

1999 (earliest recorded usage). Kuwait Towers, with tallest tower at left. 25 x 36 mm. Imperf with deckled edges. No watermark. Self-adhesive. Straight-line security underprint of REVENUE in English and Arabic. Arms in hologram, value in black. Unique security number in grey-black printed by dot matrix at foot of stamp - prefixed A (250f), B (500f), C (1d), D (2d), E (5d) or F (10d).

R43a and R46a: 1d prefixed K and 10d prefixed G

   R41. 250f sepia
   R42. 500f deep green
   R43. 1d slate-blue
     a. Variety: security number prefixed K
   R44. 2d yellow-orange
   R45. 5d claret
   R46. 10d purple-brown
     a. Variety: security number prefixed G

The 1d prefixed K and the 10d prefixed G are probably from later printings. The earliest recorded usage of the 10d G is February 2004.

R51/56

2002 (earliest recorded usage). Kuwait Towers, with tallest tower at right. 25 x 36 mm. Imperf with deckled edges. No watermark. Self-adhesive. Wavy-line security underprint of KUWAIT REVENUE in English and Arabic. Arms in hologram, value in black. Unique security number in black at foot of stamp - prefixed A (250f), B (500f), C (1d), D (2d), E (5d) or F (10d).

Earliest recorded usage: 5d used in 2002

   R51. 250f blue
   R52. 500f claret
   R53. 1d green
   R54. 2d chocolate
   R55. 5d violet
   R56. 10d orange

R61/65

2008 (earliest recorded usage). Stylised map of Kuwait. No watermark. Self-adhesive. Fluorescent band at left with repeated letters SK (= State of Kuwait) reading downwards. Arms in hologram, map and inscriptions in black, security pattern in olive-green. Background colour given. Unique security number in black towards foot of stamp - prefixed A (½d), B (1d), C (2d), D (5d) or E (10d). Figure of value towards the centre at foot of stamp.

Earliest recorded usage: 5d used in 2008

   R61. ½d orange-brown
   R62. 1d blue
   R63. 2d reddish purple
   R64. 5d bright green
   R65. 10d magenta

R71/75 plus possibly forged example of 10d (see footnote)

2011 (earliest recorded usage). Very similar to previous issue but altered inscriptions at foot of stamp, with figures of value now towards lower right-hand corner, and a more complex multicoloured security pattern in the background. Unique security number in black towards foot of stamp - prefixed A (½d), B (1d), C (2d), D (5d) or E (10d).

R71. ½d deep violet
R72. 1d rose
R73. 2d deep green
R74. 5d greenish blue
R75. 10d brown-purple

Note: the second example of the 10d illustrated above has a slightly coarse impression and the security number is blank other than the initial letter. It may be a printer's proof but may also be a forgery. The forging of Kuwaiti revenue stamps was reported in the December 2012 edition of The Revenue Journal.

Earliest recorded usage: July 2011 (5d), June 2012 (10d).

Revenue stamps in sealed packs

The last four revenue issues of Kuwait were sold in sealed packs as shown here.

X1/4

c1997 issue in sealed packs. Kuwait Towers, with tallest tower at left.

   X1. 1d pack containing 500f x2
   X2. 2d pack containing 2d x1
   X3. 5d pack containing 5d x1
   X4. 10d pack containing 10d x1

X11

X12

2002 issue in sealed packs. Kuwait Towers, with tallest tower at right.

X11. 1d pack containing 1d x1
X12. 2d pack containing 2d x1

X21/24

2009 issue in sealed packs. Stylised map of Kuwait with figure of value in lower centre.

   X21. 500f pack containing ½d x1
   X22. 1d pack containing 1d x1
   X23. 2d pack containing 2d x1
   X24. 5d pack containing 5d x1

X32 (front and back)

2012 issue in sealed pack. Stylised map of Kuwait with figure of value at lower right.

X32. 1d pack containing 1d x1

Note: the stamp illustrated on the outside of the pack is in fact the 1-dinar stamp from the previous issue. It is possible that a new pack will be introduced soon with an updated image.

Savings stamps

S1/2

?1960s. Emblems of thrift and productivity, with banner reading Bank of loans and savings. Inscribed Idkhar (=Savings) at top and Kuwait in Arabic below banner. 22½ x 26½ mm. Roulette 9. No watermark. ENSCHEDÉ imprint at foot.

   S1. 20f black and orange-red
   S2. 50f black and deep green

?1960s. Similar type but Arabic inscription at lower right (FILS) redrawn, and without ENSCHEDÉ imprint. Roulette about 8. No watermark.

   S4. 50f deep green and green

?1970s. Unidentified emblem, with banner as before. Inscribed State of Kuwait in Arabic at top and Idkhar (=Savings) below banner. 22 x 26 mm. Perf 13.

S6. 50f black, deep green and bright green

Semi-postal issues

P1/4

1947-50. Undenominated Post Office labels issued to commemorate the anniversary of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's accession to the throne of Kuwait. Approx 25 x 38 mm. Inscribed Anniversary in English and Arabic, with dates indicating the year of the Sheikh's accession and the year of issue, all dates being shown according to both the Hijra and Western calendars. Perf 11 (P1), perf 11½ (P2), perf 12 (P3) or perf 12½ (P4). No wmk.

   P1. (1920-1947) reddish violet
   P2. (1921-1948) deep violet
   P3. (1920-1949) green
   P4. (1920-1950) green

Notes:
1. P2 shows the date of the Sheikh's accession as 1921, while the other three stamps show it as 1920. The actual accession date (according to Wikipedia, consulted May 2012) was 29th March 1921, and the significance of the year 1920 is not clear.
2. It is possible that the 1950 label (P4) was not issued since the Sheikh died on 29th January 1950, two months before the anniversary of his accession.
3. P1 and P2 were printed in booklet panes of 6 (2 rows of 3), with margins at left, top and bottom. P4 is known in complete sheets of 20 (4 rows of 5 stamps each).

University Revenue

?1970s. University emblem. Inscribed State of Kuwait in Arabic at top.

U1. 50f black, orange-yellow, blue and green

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