Iran AH1312 1000 dinars
The Qajars were a group of Turkic origin who lived in the area of Azerbaijan. They were sympathetic to the Safavids, who ruled in Persia from 1501-1736 AD. The Qajar Dynasty began when Mohammad Khan Qajar seized Mashhad (then under Durrani suzerainty – see Afghanistan) and put an end to the Afsharid Dynasty. The Qajars were forced to fight several defensive wars against Russia, losing territory each time. Foreign powers became more involved in Persia as the strategic nature of the region became clear. The empire was nearly bankrupt by the end of the 1800’s, and the dynasty finally fell when Reza Khan, a commander of the Persian Cossack Brigade, led a coup d’etat and launched the Pahlavi Dynasty in 1925 AD. This specimen was lot 30198 in Heritage sale 3037 (New York, January 2015), where it sold for $1,762.50. The catalog description[1] noted, "Nasir al-Din Shah silver Proof 1000 Dinars AH1312 (1894) PR65 Cameo NGC. A wonderfully bold example with silvery-gray patina and substantial flash in the fields. Struck with the reverse of KM 899, we have been unable to locate a comparable example in our research. Rare." This type is noted for AH1311-1312 and is fairly scarce.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 4.6 g, 0.900 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM 903/899 mule.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and Scott Cordry, Heritage Signature Auction 3037, featuring the Empire, the Santa Catarina, the Law and the Santa Maria Collections, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2014.
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