Catalog
1000 Rials
| Issuer | Bank Markazi Iran |
|---|---|
| Year | 1980-1981 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | بانک مرکزی ایران یک هزار ریال جمهوری اسلامی وزیر امور اقتصادی و دارایی رئیس کل |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents an intaglio vignette of the mausoleum of the poet Hafez in Shiraz, rendered in fine line engraving with surrounding cypress trees and garden landscaping. To the right, a large winged lion in the Achaemenid style stands against a floral scroll underprint, with a circular watermark area visible to its right. The issuer name 'BANK MARKAZI IRAN' is lettered at the top in Roman script, and a dark red banner at the foot carries the denomination '1000 RIALS' in white lettering. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
P#125 is the overprinted version of the imperial-era 1000 Rial note — the revolution didn't wait for new plates. Rather than commission entirely new designs, the provisional Islamic government simply overstamped existing De La Rue-printed sheets with the new "Bank Markazi Iran" authority text, obliterating or masking the Shah's imagery in the process. It was a pragmatic stopgap while the new republic organized its own printing program.
De La Rue retained the contract into the post-revolutionary period, an arrangement that sat awkwardly with the new government's hostility toward Western commercial ties — one that didn't survive long.