Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
50 Rials - Mohammad Rezā Pahlavī Winged Lion
| Issuer | Bank Markazi Iran |
|---|---|
| Year | 1971 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Second Rial (1932-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | 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 script | Arabic, Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A finely detailed winged lion passant, derived from an Achaemenid bas-relief at Persepolis, strides to the right against a background of coursed ashlar masonry. The creature bears large curved ram's horns and prominent feathered wings rising from its shoulders, with a curling tail extending behind. The design faithfully reproduces one of the iconic mythological guardian figures of the Apadana staircase relief, rendered in high relief with exceptional sculptural detail. No legends appear on this face. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
This piece was struck specifically for the October 1971 celebration at Persepolis, where Mohammad Reza Shah staged a $200 million extravaganza marking 2,500 years of Persian imperial monarchy. The guest list ran to dozens of heads of state; the food was flown in from Maxim's of Paris. Ayatollah Khomeini, then in exile in Najaf, issued a fatwa condemning the festivities as an affront to Islam — a political fracture that would deepen for another eight years before breaking the dynasty entirely.
The .999 fineness is unusually high for a commemorative of this period, suggesting the Shah intended these as prestige objects rather than circulation pieces.