2000 Rials - Mohammad Rezā Pahlavī Pahlavī and Farah

Issued to commemorate the 2500th anniversary of the Persian Empire, this piece was part of a lavish celebration orchestrated by Mohammad Reza Shah in October 1971 at Persepolis — an event so extravagant it reportedly cost between $100 and $300 million, drawing sharp criticism from Ayatollah Khomeini and widening the fracture between the monarchy and the religious establishment. Foreign heads of state were flown in from around the world while many Iranians lived in poverty within sight of the tents.

The commemoration proved politically catastrophic in retrospect. Less than eight years later, the Shah fled Iran permanently.