Item number: A3739

Reference number: KM#1198

Year: AD 1977 (MS 2536)

Material: Gold (.900)

Size: 16.3 x 16.4 x 0.4 mm

Weight: 2.15 g

Manufactured by: Central Bank of Iran, Tehran

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2025

This is a gold coin issued in Imperial Year 2536 (AD 1977) under the rule of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi of the Pahlavi Dynasty, with a denomination of one-quarter Pahlavi.

The obverse bears a left-facing portrait of Mohammad Reza, surrounded above by the inscription in Persian “محمّدرضا شاه پهلوی آریامهر شاهنشاه ایران” (Moḥammad-Reżā Shāh Pahlavī Āryāmehr Shāhanšāh-e Īrān), meaning “Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Shah, Light of the Aryans, King of Kings of Iran”. The title “King of Kings” (Shahanshah) may have originated in the Assyrian Empire, where it signified “the ruler of the rulers of the city-states”, and was transmitted to the Iranian world, becoming a standard royal epithet from the Achaemenid period onwards. The title “Light of the Aryans” was adopted by Mohammad Reza following his formal coronation in AD 1967, used alongside “King of Kings” as his second principal epithet, subordinate only to the latter. It was intended to promote an Iranian-centred Aryan nationalism in opposition to Islamic religious authority and Western political influence. Beneath the portrait appears the date “۲۵۳۶”, indicating Imperial Year 2536, equivalent to AD 1977. The Monarchial Calendar System (or Imperial Era) was introduced in AD 1971 to commemorate the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire, marking the coronation of Cyrus the Great and highlighting both the antiquity of Persian monarchy and its modern achievements.

The reverse depicts the national emblem of Persia, namely a lion brandishing a curved sword with a rising sun behind it. The “Lion and Sun” has been a major Persian national emblem since the twelfth century, originally derived from an astrological motif— the sun passing through the sign of Leo—symbolising power, light and kingship. Over time, the emblem acquired multiple meanings: under the Safavid dynasty it represented the union of “state” and “religion”; under the Qajar dynasty it became a nationalist symbol embodying Persian cultural identity; by the Pahlavi period the sword-bearing lion and rising sun had become the core of the official coat of arms and national flag. Until the Islamic Revolution of AD 1979, the Lion and Sun remained the official emblem and flag motif of Iran; the design was abolished thereafter and replaced in AD 1980 by the current national emblem. The crest above is the Pahlavi crown, incorporating Sasanian decorative elements to assert the deep historical continuity of royal authority. Below the lion, on the horizon line, appears the Persian inscription “ربع پهلوی”, indicating the denomination “¼ Pahlavi”. The emblem is enclosed within a wreath composed of olive leaves on the left and oak leaves on the right, symbolising peace and strength.

Following its establishment in AD 1925, the Pahlavi Dynasty continued the late-Qajar movement towards the modernisation of the monetary system, consolidating the rial as the core of Iran’s legal tender. The monetary reforms of AD 1930 formally designated the gold “Pahlavi” to replace the older “toman” as the standard gold coin, issued in fractional and multiple denominations (¼, ½, 1 Pahlavi and higher multiples) defined by weight and purity. The Pahlavi was successively assigned legal values of twenty rials (or qirans) and later one hundred rials. Although it may have been intended as a reserve unit under a gold-based standard, economic instability during the late Great Depression led Iran, in AD 1937, to allow the price of gold to float freely. Thereafter, gold coins ceased to function as legal-tender currency and were minted primarily on occasions of political significance—coronations, national ceremonies and commemorative events—to project state authority and legitimacy. Gold coins bearing the title “Light of the Aryans” were struck only between AD 1974 and 1979, while coins dated in the Imperial Era were minted solely from AD 1976 to 1978. In AD 1979, following the Islamic Revolution, all imperial symbols were abolished and replaced with the “Bahar Azadi” gold coin.

In AD 1921, the Persian Cossack Brigade under the command of Reza Khan entered Tehran without resistance, overthrowing the unpopular Qajar regime. Reza Khan ascended the throne in AD 1925, founding the Pahlavi Dynasty. He initiated a broad programme of modernisation and officially adopted “Iran” as the country’s name. During the Second World War, his attempt to maintain neutrality prompted a joint British and Soviet intervention; he abdicated and went into exile in AD 1941, leaving the throne to his son, Mohammad Reza. The reign of Mohammad Reza Shah (Pahlavi II) spanned the Second World War and the Cold War, characterised by military modernisation, administrative centralisation and wide-ranging socio-economic reforms, most notably the “White Revolution”, which encompassed land reform, women’s suffrage, educational expansion and industrial development. He also sought to reinforce the legitimacy of his regime by reshaping Iran’s national narrative, most prominently through the AD 1971 celebration of the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire, designed to emphasise the ancient continuity of Iranian monarchy. Growing dissatisfaction with his reforms and public concern over governmental corruption fuelled opposition among the clerical establishment, culminating in his overthrow during the Islamic Revolution led by Khomeini in AD 1979. He died in exile, bringing an end to the millennia-old Iranian monarchy.

物件編號: A3739

參考書目編號: KM#1198

年代: 公元 1977 年 (君主曆 1311 年)

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 16.3 x 16.4 x 0.4 mm

重量: 2.15 g

製造地: 伊朗中央銀行，德黑蘭

來源: 福君錢幣 2025

這是一枚君主曆2536年(公元1977年)，彼時統治伊朗的巴勒維王朝穆罕默德·禮薩沙王，所發行之金幣，面額四分之一巴勒維。

錢幣正面為穆罕默德·禮薩的左側頭像，上方環列幣銘，為波斯文「محمّدرضا شاه پهلوی آریامهر شاهنشاه ایران」(Moḥammad-Reżā Shāh Pahlavī Āryāmehr Shāhanšāh-e Īrān)，譯為「穆罕默德·禮薩·巴勒維沙阿，雅利安人之光，伊朗的萬王之王」。「萬王之王」(Shahansha)最早可能源自亞述帝國，原意為「眾城邦統治者的統治者」，流傳至波斯地區後，自阿契美尼德王朝起，成為波斯君主的常見稱號。「雅利安人之光」則為穆罕默德·禮薩於公元1967年正式加冕起，與「萬王之王」一併採用的第二頭銜，僅次於「萬王之王」。該頭銜是為了宣揚伊朗雅利安民族主義以對抗伊斯蘭宗教與西方政權的干涉。下方為「۲۵۳۶」，標記為君主曆2536年，即公元1977年。君主曆(Monarchial Calendar System, or Imperial Era)於公元1971年採用，為紀念波斯帝國成立2500周年慶典而改元，該慶典以居魯士建立波斯帝國為標誌，宣揚波斯君主制的悠久歷史與當代成就。

背面為波斯國徽，即拿著彎刀的雄獅及其背後升起的太陽。「獅子與太陽」自十二世紀以來便是波斯的重要國家象徵，最初源於占星符號——太陽行經獅子宮的結合，象徵力量、光明與王權。此圖案在歷代逐漸被賦予多重含義：薩法維王朝以其象徵「國家」與「宗教」的結合；卡札爾王朝則將其塑造成民族主義標誌，代表波斯的文化身份；至巴勒維王朝時，「持劍獅子與升日」更成為官方國徽與國旗的核心。直到公元1979年伊斯蘭革命前，獅子與太陽持續作為伊朗的正式國徽與旗幟圖案。革命後舊徽章被廢止，公元1980年改以現行伊朗國徽取代。頂飾為巴勒維皇冠，採取薩珊帝國的裝飾元素以證明皇權的悠久傳承。而獅子站立的地平線下方有一行波斯文「ربع پهلوی」即面額「¼巴勒維」。國徽以花圈環繞，以左側的橄欖枝葉和右側的橡樹枝葉構成，象徵和平與力量。

巴勒維王朝自公元1925年建立後，延續晚期卡扎爾王朝在貨幣制度上的近代化方向，繼續以里亞爾為核心構建現代伊朗的法定貨幣體系。公元1930年的改革正式確立金幣「巴勒維」取代舊「土曼」(toman)作為標準化金幣單位，以純度與重量為依據分為四分之一、二分之一、一巴勒維及更高倍數。一巴勒維先後訂定兌率為二十里亞爾(rial, or qiran)與一百里亞爾。原意可能欲作為金本位的儲備，但公元1930年代，大蕭條後期的經濟動盪，最終使伊朗於公元1937年決定金價改採自由浮動。此後金幣不再是法償貨幣，多在重要政治時刻、加冕典禮與國家紀念活動中鑄造，用以展示政權的合法性與國家權威。其中附有「雅利安人之光」頭銜的金幣僅鑄於公元1974至1979年。以君主曆紀年的金幣僅鑄於公元1976至1978年。公元 1979 年，伊斯蘭革命後，取消所有帝制象徵，改制為「巴哈阿扎迪」(Bahar Azadi)金幣。

公元1921年，波斯哥薩克騎兵旅在指揮官禮薩汗指揮下，兵不血刃地進入首都德黑蘭推翻不得民心的卡扎爾王朝，並於公元1925年登基和開創巴勒維王朝。禮薩汗帶領波斯走向現代化，並宣布以伊朗取代波斯為國號。第二次世界大戰時，禮薩汗意圖保持中立，招致英國和蘇聯兩國派兵干涉。於公元1941年退位流亡海外，禪讓予其子穆罕默德·禮薩。

穆罕默德·禮薩沙阿(或稱巴勒維二世)的統治跨越二戰、冷戰時期，致力推動軍事現代化、行政中央化與社會經濟改革，其中以「白色革命」最具代表性，內容包含土地改革、婦女投票權、教育推展與工業化等。為強化政權合法性，他亦積極重塑伊朗的國家敘事，並於公元1971年舉辦波斯帝國建國2500年慶典，試圖強調伊朗君主制自古延續的歷史傳承。其改革與公眾對於政府貪腐的質疑引發伊斯蘭教士階層不滿，最終於公元1979年，何梅尼領導的伊斯蘭革命中被推翻，並在流亡期間逝世，終結伊朗長達上千年的帝制。