1/2 Toman - Ahmad Qajar

The half-toman denomination under Ahmad Shah was a legitimate gold issue in standard production, which makes bronze specimens with gold plating almost certainly contemporary or later counterfeits rather than official mint output. Ahmad Shah himself ascended at age eleven in 1909 following his father Mohammad Ali Shah's forced abdication under Russian and British pressure, and the Tehran mint operated under considerable financial strain throughout his reign. A plated base-metal piece of this type warrants close scrutiny of edge and core.