Iran AH 1153 1/2 mithqal
The Afsharids were of Turkic origin, and the dynasty was founded by Nadir Shah when he deposed the last ruler of the Safavid Dynasty in 1736 AD. He expanded Persian rule to areas previously lost to the Ghilzai Afghans in the east and to the Ottomans in the west. However, he was assassinated in 1747 AD and thereafter the dynasty carried on in a weakened state, with various claimants who eventually split off, the most important being the establishment of the Durrani Empire in Khorasan. This region eventually became part of modern-day Afghanistan. The last Afsharid ruler was captured by Mohammad Khan Qajar, who established the Qajar Dynasty in 1796 AD. This specimen was lot 2286 in Stephen Album sale 50 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $720. The catalog description[1] noted, "AFSHARID: Nadir Shah, 1735-1747, AR 1/2 mithqal, Bukhara, AH1153, local type, used only at Bukhara; mount removed, F-VF, RR. Nadir Shah conquered Bukhara in AH1153 (1740) and had half mithqal and quarter mithqal silver coins struck there in his name, both of which are very rare, especially the quarter." Bukhara is now in Uzbekistan.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: gold, this specimen 2.27 g.
Catalog reference: A-B2756.
- Album, Stephen, Checklist of Islamic Coins, 3rd Ed. Santa Rosa, Stephen Album Rare Coins, 2011.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 50, featuring selections from the Dr. Robert A. Rosenfeld Collection, the Hakim Hamidi Collection, the Almer H. Orr III Collection and the Solar Collection, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2024.
Links to: