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20 Rials Mohammad Rezā Pahlavī
| Issuer | Bank Melli Iran |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Orange intaglio print on multicolor underprint. Portrait of Mohammad Rezā Shah Pahlavi in military uniform at right, with a central vignette of the Lion and Sun emblem within an ornate guilloche medallion, and a Persepolis architectural scene in the lower center. Bank name and denomination inscribed in Persian script above and below the central vignette, with serial numbers in each corner. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Orange on light underprint. A panoramic vignette occupies the center, presenting the Savad Kooh railroad tunnel and viaduct bridges set within a dramatic mountain gorge landscape. The bank name is inscribed in Persian script at the top, with the denomination repeated in all four corners within ornate guilloche borders, and floral rosette motifs accenting the vertical side panels. |
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| Comments |
Bank Melli Iran had relied on British printing contracts since the 1930s, and Harrison & Sons continued producing Iranian notes through the wartime years even as Iran was under joint Anglo-Soviet occupation — a period that lasted from 1941 until 1946. The 1944 series came at a moment of acute monetary instability, when Allied military expenditure inside Iran was generating serious inflationary pressure and the central government had limited means to control it.
Harrison's facility at High Wycombe handled several colonial and allied currency contracts concurrently during this period, and the Iranian commissions were part of a broader wartime printing relationship with the British government's sphere of influence.