Iran Pahlavi Gold

Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was the last Shah (king) of Iran. The Pahlavi dynasty was the ruling house of Iran from 1925 until 1979, when the monarchy was overthrown by the Islamist Revolution. The Shah minted several coins in gold that bear his likeness:

1/4 PAHLAVI: SH1332 to SH1358, 13 mm diameter, 0.0589 troy ounces gold
1/2 PAHLAVI: SH1324 to SH1358, 18 mm diameter, 0.1177 ounces gold
PAHLAVI: SH1324 to SH1358, 20 mm diameter, 0.2354 ounces gold
2 1/2 PAHLVAI: SH1339 to SH1358, 27 mm diameter,, 0.5885 ounces gold
5 PAHLAVI: SH1339 to SH1358, 39 mm diameter, 1.1771 ounces gold
10 PAHLAVI: SH1358, 47 mm diameter, 2.3541 ounces gold

The 'SH' dates cited above are in the 'Solar Hijri' calendar, an Islamic calendar based on solar years instead of the normal lunar years. Dates are read in Eastern Arabic numerals, as shown in our figure. SH1324 corresponds to 1945AD (Gregorian calendar), and SH1358 corresponds to 1979AD. Some dates are given in a monarchial calendar. MS2536 is 1977AD, and MS2537 is 1978AD.

To evaluate these coins, first determine what denomination you have, from 1/4 Pahlavi to 10 Pahlavi, as shown above. This gives you the number of troy ounces of gold in the coin. Multiply the number of ounces by the current price of gold to obtain base value (BV). For instance, if gold is trading at $1200 US dollars per troy ounce (look it up on kitco.com), the BV for a 1 Pahlavi coin is 0.2354 x 1200 = $282 US dollars. Then apply the following to obtain the value:

circulated: coin value is BV
uncirculated: coin value is 1.2xBV (BV multiplied by 1.2)

These values apply to all coins and all dates, but there are exceptions. Some coins are worth more than BV to 1.2 x BV. Here are the good dates. Values given are for fully uncirculated coins. Circulated coins are worth much less, but never less than BV.

GOOD DATES 1/4 PAHLAVI:
SH1332, 1333, 1335, and 1344: BV + $80 fully uncirculated
SH1336, 1358: BV + $150 fully unc

GOOD DATES 1/2 PAHLAVI:
SH1332: BV + $750
SH1333, 1334, and 1344: BV + $80

GOOD DATES 1 PAHLAVI:
SH1331: BV + $750
SH1332: BV + $1500
SH1344: BV + $50

GOOD DATES 2 1/2 PAHLAVI:
SH1342: BV + $2000
SH1354, 1355: BV + $600
MS2536, 2537: BV + $600

GOOD DATES 5 PAHLAVI:
SH1342: BV + $4000
SH1358: BV + $1500

GOOD DATE 10 PAHLAVI:
SH1358: BV + $1000
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