Iran AH1312 2000 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 30199 in Heritage sale 3037 (New York, January 2015), where it sold for $2,585. The catalog description[1] noted, "Nasir al-Din Shah silver Proof 2000 Dinars AH1312 (1894) PR66 Cameo NGC. A spectacular offering with pool-like reflectivity within in the fields and perfect devices that display every ornate detail in full. All-over silvery-gray patination further adds to the incredible appeal of this rare proof issue mule, of which we have been unable to locate another example in any auction records we have accessed." This type is noted for AH1311-1312 and is fairly scarce.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 9.21 g, 0.900 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM 911/904 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.
Link to: