Iran SH1355 1/4 pahlavi
This specimen was lot 47746 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2026), where it sold for $456. The catalog description[1] noted, "IRAN. 1/4 Pahlavi, SH 1355 (1976). Tehran Mint. Muhammad Reza Pahlavi. PCGS MS-67." When Reza Shah seized the throne in 1925, he adopted the solar Hegira calendar, which used the Gregorian calendar but deducted 621 years. Thus, SH 1355 = 1976 AD. In 1931 the system was reformed and 100 dinars = one rial. This type was struck SH 1354-1358 for the shah. The pahlavi matched the British sovereign in gold content. As the pahlavi was always sold at its gold price, it had no fixed ratio to the rial.
Recorded mintage: 186,000.
Specification: 2.03 g, 0.900 fine gold, 0.0589 troy oz AGW.
Catalog reference: Fr-104; KM-1198.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2026 NYINC Showcase Auction, Ancient and World Coins, featuring the Kazmier Wysocki Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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