Iran AH 1217 toman KM 739.10
This specimen was lot 2924 in Sincona sale 83 (Zurich, May 2023), where it sold for 450 CHF (about US$602 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted, "IRAN, Fath 'Ali Shah, 1212-1250 AH (1797-1834). 1 Toman 1217 AH (1802), Yazd. Type S2. Seltener Jahrgang. Vorzüglich (Rare date, Extremely fine). From auction Künker 239, Osnabrück 2013, lot 5559." The Qajar Dynasty began when Mohammad Khan Qajar seized Mashhad (then under Durrani suzerainty – see Afghanistan) and put an end to the Afsharid Dynasty. The Qajars were forced to fight several defensive wars against Russia, losing territory each time. Foreign powers became more involved in Persia as the strategic nature of the region became clear. The empire was nearly bankrupt by the end of the 1800’s, and the dynasty finally fell when Reza Khan, a commander of the Persian Cossack Brigade, led a coup d’etat and launched the Pahlavi Dynasty in 1925 AD. This gold denomination was struck at numerous mints during the reign of Fath 'Ali Shah.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.14 g, gold, this specimen 6.00 g.
Catalog reference: Album 2860 C, KM 739.10, Fr-34.
- 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, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Richter, Jurg, SINCONA Auction 83, World and Swiss Coins and Medals, Zurich: SINCONA AG, 2023.
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