Iran SH1322 1/2 pahlavi
The first specimen was lot 4305 in Sincona sale 67 (Zürich, October 2020), where it sold for 300 CHF (about US$395 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"IRAN | Pahlavi Dynasty | Muhammad Rezâ Shâh, 1320-1358 ShH./1941-1979 AD, Gold coinage. 1/2 Pahlavi 1322 ShH/1943 AD. Muhammad Rezâ shâh /Pahlavi / shâhânshâh-i Irân and date below, rev. crown above lion and sun, value below. NGC MS65."
The second specimen was lot 1025 in Stephen Album sale 43 (Santa Rosa, CA, May 2022), where it sold for $312. The catalog description[2] noted, "IRAN: Mohammad Reza Shah, 1941-1979, AV ½ pahlavi, SH1322, superior luster, NGC graded MS65." 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 1322 = 1943 AD. In 1931 the system was reformed and 100 dinars = one rial. This type was struck SH 1320-1323 for the young shah, Reza Shah having been forced into exile for being too cozy with the Nazis. 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: unknown but common.
Specification: 4.07 g, 0.900 fine gold.
Catalog reference: KM 1147.
- 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]Jürg Richter, Auction 67, Persian Coins and Medals, World Orders and Decorations, Zurich: Sincona AG, 2020.
- [2]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 43, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2022.
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