Iran AH 977 1/4 mithqal
This specimen was lot 76425 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $145. The catalog description[1] noted, "IRAN. Safavid Dynasty. 1/4 Mithqal, AH 977 (1569/70). Tahmasp I. NGC MS-62. The sole finest representative of the type yet encountered by NGC, this alluring Mint State exemplar delivers soft brilliance, with a good central, though peripherally weak strike." According to Numista, this type comes undated, but this example clearly shows "٩٧٧" on the reverse. It was struck at Isfahan; the Qom and Kirman mints also participated. The ashrafi (3.5 g) superseded the mithqal during the reign of shah Abbas (1587-1629).
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.14 g, gold, 11 mm diameter, this specimen 1.15 g.
Catalog reference: A-O2593.
- Album, Stephen, Checklist of Islamic Coins, 3rd Ed. Santa Rosa, Stephen Album Rare Coins, 2011.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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