Iran MS2537 10 pahlavi

Stack's Bowers September 2024 Collector's Choice sale, lot 76593

This specimen was lot 76593 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $6,600. The catalog description^[1] noted, "IRAN. 10 Pahlavis, MS 2537 (1978). Tehran Mint. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. PCGS MS-66. A stunning and massive 10 Pahlavi, this alluring Gem delivers vibrant luster, with full details and no evidence of major marking. About as visually impressive as modern Iranian coinage, 10 Pahlavis are a bit more elusive than their 5 Pahlavi brethren." The shah was overthrown in 1979 and he died the next year. This massive coin, a reflection of the shah's megalomania, was also struck SH 1358. The "MS" calendar, used briefly in the late seventies, seems to have been tied to the old Persian Empire and not the shah's ancestors, who were nomad bandits.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 81.35 g, 0.900 fine gold, 49 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: Fr-98a; KM-1213.

Source:

• 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, September 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.

Link to:

• MS 2535 (1976) 10 pahlavi
• MS 2536 (1977) 10 pahlavi, for the birthday of Reza Khan
• Iran 1978 20 rials F.A.O.
• MS 2537 ¼ pahlavi
• MS 2537 pahlavi
• MS 2537 2½ pahlavi
• SH 1358 (1979) ½ pahlavi
• SH 1358 (1979) pahlavi
• SH 1358 (1979) 10 pahlavi
• Coins and currency dated 1978