Iran AH 1183 1/2 mohur KM-531.4
This specimen was lot 58 in Sincona sale 92 (Zurich, October 2024), where it sold for 1,900 CHF (about US$2,634 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"IRAN Zand Dynasty, Karim Khan, 1166-1193 AH (1753-1779). 1/2 Mohur Ashrafi 1183 AH (1769/1770), Isfahan Mint. Selten, Rare. NGC MS63. Purchased from A. Shams, Frankfurt, in 1986. Finest certified by NGC."
The SCWC assigns the following catalog numbers to this type: KM 531.1 (Basra, struck AH 1190), KM 531.2 (Shiraz, AH 1184-1193), KM 531.3 (Tabriz, AH 1184 and 1187). This example is from Isfahan, a mint not listed in the SCWC. Wikipedia comments, "Mohammad Karim Khan Zand (Persian: محمدکریم خان زند) was the founder of the Zand Dynasty, ruling from 1751 to 1779. He ruled all of Iran (Persia) except for Khorasan. He also ruled over some of the Caucasian lands and occupied Basra for some years. Following Karim Khan's death, civil war broke out once more, and none of his descendants were able to rule the country as effectively as he had. The last of these descendants, Lotf Ali Khan, was executed by Qajar ruler Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, who became the sole ruler of Iran."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 5.50 g, gold, this specimen 5.48 g.
Catalog reference: Album 2788, Unlisted in Rabino ACSM and Farahbakhsh, KM 531 (unlisted mint), Fr-19.
- 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, Jurg, SINCONA Auction 93: Russian Coins and Medals, Zurich: SINCONA AG, 2024.
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