Iran AH 1294-FP 50 dinars

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Stephen Album sale 47, lot 1070
Sincona sale 85, lot 1054

The first specimen was lot 1070 in Stephen Album sale 47 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2023), where it sold for $420. The catalog description[1] noted, "IRAN: Nasir al-Din Shah, 1848-1896, AE 50 dinars, AH1294, pattern date with dies engraved by Franz Pechan (FP), an official from the Vienna Mint, cleaned, EF. The Iranian Imperial Postal Service was reorganized successfully by Gustav Riederer von Dachsberg, and the Tehran Mint by Franz Pechan von Prägenberg, though this latter reorganization was only initially successful. The new Tehran Mint was founded in 1877 as the sole national mint of Iran; it replaced multiple provincial mints. It was constructed at the place of a former cotton factory in northern Tehran, and used French machinery, while the original building was built by the Belgians. Senior Münze Österreich official, Franz Pechan von Prägenberg, contributed to technically operate the mint. When he was ordered to reduce the standard of the coins, he quit the service." The second specimen was lot 1054 in Sincona sale 85 (Zürich, October 2023), where it sold for 400 CHF (about US$539 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,

"IRAN, Nasir al-Din Shah, 1264-1313 AH (1848-1896). 50 Dinars 1294 AH (1877 AD), Tehran Mint. Bronze. Rare in this condition. NGC AU58 BN. From the Kian collection, auction SINCONA 49, October 2018, lot 63. Bought from Stephen Album, Santa Rosa, 1993."

This specimen shows the transition to machine struck decimal coinage, which had been planned for some time but was finally implemented in AH 1293-1294. At that time, all the branch mints were closed in favor of the central mint at Tehran. This type was struck AH 1293-1305 and is common in circulated condition. Other early decimal issues were KM 882 (copper 25 dinars), KM 892 (silver quarter kran or 250 dinars), KM A914 (silver 5000 dinars), KM 925 (gold 5000 dinars) and KM 930 (gold toman or 10,000 dinars). Other denominations were added later.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: copper.

Catalog reference: KM-883.

Source:

  • Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
  • [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 47, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2023.
  • [2]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 85, The Kian Collection - Part 1, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2023.

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