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1 Ashrafi - Fath Ali Qajar Portrait
| Issuer | Iran |
|---|---|
| Year | 1830-1831 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Qiran (1825-1932) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Enthroned effigy of Fath Ali Shah seated three-quarters to the right in royal regalia, depicted within an ornate cartouche occupying the central field. The Shah's name appears in an inscription within a cartouche to the right of the figure. The design is rendered in the characteristic Qajar court portrait style, with elaborate decorative floral and vegetal scrollwork filling the surrounding field. The entire composition is enclosed within a beaded inner border, framed by further ornamental detail extending to the dentilated outer rim. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | فتحعلی شاه |
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| Additional information |
Fath Ali Shah ruled from 1797 until his death in 1834, presiding over a court that made an elaborate visual cult of the royal person — the portrait ashrafi was part of that program. These coins circulated among the elite and were used as gifts and rewards rather than in everyday trade, which explains why many survivors show minimal wear despite being genuinely old.
The period around 1830–31 coincided with the aftermath of the Russo-Persian War and the humiliating Treaty of Turkmenchay, signed 1828, which stripped Iran of territories in the Caucasus and imposed a ruinous indemnity. The treasury was under strain, and gold coinage of this type was increasingly a ceremonial instrument rather than a commercial one.