Heavy 1/2 Ashrafi - Tahmasp I Rasht

Rasht, situated on the Caspian littoral, was among the more commercially active mints of the Safavid realm, owing largely to the silk trade that funneled through Gilan province. A heavy half-ashrafi at 1.98g sits above the standard half-ashrafi norm, suggesting either a deliberate weight adjustment for a specific transactional purpose or a die pairing drawn from full-ashrafi production. Tahmasp I's reign of 52 years — the longest of any Safavid shah — produced considerable mint variety, and Album's B2593 designation acknowledges the weight irregularities that recur across this type.