Iran AH 1159 ashrafi KM-389.3

Sincona sale 88, lot 82

This specimen was lot 82 in Sincona sale 88 (Zurich, May 2024), where it sold for 3,400 CHF (about US$4,493 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"IRAN, Afsharid Dynasty, Nader Shah, as king, 1148-1160 AH (1735-1747). Mohur Ashrafi 1159 AH (1746), Tabriz Mint. Äusserst selten; Extremely rare. NGC AU58. Purchased from M. Abgarians, Glendale, California, in 1987."

Nadir Shah was the power behind the throne in the last years of the Safavids. Finally, he tired of ruling thru puppets and seized the throne for himself in AH 1148. He was assassinated by army officers in June 1747 (AH 1160) and none of his successors were equal to the task of consolidating the state he had conquered. This ashrafi was struck at Tabriz AH 1154, 1157 and 1158. Other mints include Isfahan, Mashhad and Shiraz.

Recorded mintage: unknown but a scarce mint.

Specification: 11 g, gold, this specimen 10.98 g.

Catalog reference: Album 2739. KM 389.3, Farahbakhsh 238-5 (1154 AH). cf. Rabino 329 (1154 AH).

Source:

• 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.
• Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
• ^[1]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 88, The Kian Collection - Part II, Zurich: SINCONA AG, 2024.

Link to:

• AH 1152 ashrafi, Tiflis mint
• AH 1157 shahi, Isfahan mint
• AH 1157 rupi, Peshawar mint
• AH 1158 rupi, Bhakhar mint
• AH 1158 rupi, Derajat mint
• AH 1158 ashrafi, Isfahan mint
• AH 1159 shahi, Isfahan mint
• AH 1159 rupi, Derajat mint
• AH 1159 rupi, Sind mint
• AH 1160 abbasi, Tabriz mint, Sam Mirza
• Coins and currency dated 1746