Catalog
Falus - Anonymous Rasht
| Issuer | City of Rasht (Iranian Cities) |
|---|---|
| Year | 741 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Copper |
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| Obverse description | A stylized peacock facing left occupies the central field, rendered in a bold, naive hammered style characteristic of provincial Iranian copper coinage. The bird's tail feathers are depicted in a fan-like arrangement with pellet ornaments, and small raised pellets are scattered around the figure. The entire central device is enclosed within a beaded or pellet border that follows the irregular flan edge. The composition is symmetrical and decorative, reflecting the artistic conventions of Qajar-era municipal mint production. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND - - 123 (741) - - |
| Additional information |
Rasht, the principal city of Gilan province on the Caspian littoral, issued anonymous copper falus during the mid-eighteenth century under conditions of considerable political fragmentation following the collapse of Safavid central authority. Album 3257 covers a loosely defined group of provincial copper issues that circulated largely outside the reach of any coherent imperial monetary system — local commerce demanded small change that Tehran or Isfahan simply wasn't supplying.
The anonymity here is deliberate, not accidental. Provincial mints avoiding named authority on copper coinage was a hedge against rapidly shifting political allegiances in Gilan, a region that changed hands repeatedly between Safavid remnants, Afghan interlopers, and eventually Nadir Shah's consolidating campaigns.