Iran 1/2 and 1 Pahlavi 1902 to 1906

The Lion and Sun, or Shir-o-khorshid, is one of the better-known emblems of Iran, and between 1423 and 1979 was an element in Iran's national flag. The motif, which combines ancient Iranian, Arab, Turkish, Mongol and Jewish traditions, became a popular symbol in Iran in the 12th century. -- wikipedia

Shannon has a beautiful 1 pahlavi (or pahlevi) coin made of gold. There are many coins that look similar, that is, they have the lion, saber, and sun pattern, but they are not this specific coin with SH (solar Hejira) dates between 1321 adn 1324.

The SH date is based on the life of Muhammed. To get the AD (Gregorian) date, add 621 to the SH date. In other words:

AD date = SH date + 621

For the 1323 coin, the AD date is 1944.

The base value of these coins will be the gold weigth multiplied by the current value of gold. Use a web site such as kitco.com to get the current value. It changes every day. Today, gold is at $1415 US dollars per troy ounce. Here are the gold stats for the 1/2 and 1 pahlavis:

1/2 pahlavi: 18 mm diameter, 0.118 troy ounces gold
1 pahlavi: 22 mm diameter, 0.235 troy ounces gold

A 1 pahlavi coin, then, contains 0.235 x 1415 = $332 US dollars worth of gold today. Tomorrow it will be different.

If you have a worn 1/2 or 1 pahlavi coin, it is worth about gold value. On the other hand, if your coin has virtually no wear, like the specimen in our picture, the value rises above straight gold. Here are some typical added values over and above the gold value.

1/2 PAHLAVI, all dates except 1320:
worn: add $0 US dollars to gold value
almost uncirculated: add $50
fully uncirculated: add $100

1/2 PAHLAVI, coins dated 1320:
worn: add $300 US dollars to gold value
almost uncirculated: add $400
fully uncirculated: add $600

1 PAHLAVI, all dates except 1320:
worn: add $0 US dollars to gold value
almost uncirculated: add $20
fully uncirculated: add $50

1 PAHLAVI, coins dated 1320:
worn: add $400 US dollars to gold value
almost uncirculated: add $600
fully uncirculated: add $1200

The 1320 coins are obviously special. If you have one, congratulations! The values for the 1320s and catalog values. You must apply the concepts on our Important Terminology page to the catalog values to get actual buy and sell values.
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