Catalog
500 Rials = 5 Pahlavi
| Issuer | Banque Mellié Iran |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Rials |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse, printed in blue intaglio, centres on a large detailed landscape vignette of the Tomb of Cyrus the Great at Pasargadae, rendered with fine engraving against a mountainous background. The issuer's name BANQUE MELLIÉ IRAN appears in Latin script across the top, with the French denomination legend CINQ PAHLAVI below the central vignette. The denomination 500 RIALS is repeated vertically in the side borders, and a French-language guarantee text occupies a lower panel; a blank oval at upper right is consistent with trial impression practice. |
| Reverse lettering | BANQUE MELLIÉ IRAN CINQ PAHLAVI 500 RIALS |
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| Comments |
Pick 36B belongs to the Banque Mellié Iran series issued before the institution was reorganized and rechartered as Bank Markazi Iran in 1960. The Banque Mellié — formally the National Bank of Iran — had held the note-issuing monopoly since 1928, when Reza Shah ended the decades-long privilege of the British-controlled Imperial Bank of Persia. The dual denomination expressed in both Rials and Pahlavis reflects a transitional convention; the Pahlavi unit, equal to 100 Rials, was introduced to honor the dynasty and appeared on higher-value notes through much of the mid-century series.
Signature combinations are the primary variety determinant within this Pick number, and misidentification between 36A and 36B is common in dealer inventory.