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Among Persian Islamic coinage, most issues carry designs that feature only inscriptions. However, during the reign of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, some rare gold coins were issued featuring the king’s portrait. Incredibly rare and prized today, one such coin was recently submitted to the PCGS office in Paris for certification.
Those who study Islamic numismatics are surely familiar with Aniconism – a cultural avoidance or even a prohibition of images, especially of deities, prophets, and living people. This is to prevent idolatry, with conceptual representation replaced by symbols, calligraphy, or abstract patterns. This practice started in the 690s AD for coinage of Islamic rulers. This carried over to Persia with the Islamic conquest. While there are exceptions during some periods, such as Ilkhanids with Mongol influenced coinage, it wouldn’t be until the Qajars that the first Persian royal portraits would appear on coinage for a short period during the Fath-Ali Shah Qajar reign.
Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, who ruled between 1797 until 1834, was a different ruler who liked to deliberately push the boundaries, and this included matters relating to coinage. He looked to the coinage of the Sasanian Empire, which featured royal portraits, and felt that it would continue a historical legitimacy and continuity with ancient Persian monarchy. As shah, he had both political and religious authority and saw his portrait as state propaganda – a symbol of sovereignty, not an object of worship. As such, he would commission paintings, murals, and other court art with his image. This would include some coins.
A rare example of one of these coins was submitted to the PCGS on-site grading event in Paris. The coin features the image of the shah seated on a throne with his name in cartouche with the date 1249 (AH) (1834 AD). The reverse has a Persian inscription in cartouche, which reads “Isfahan Palace Mint.” The coin was graded MS61 by PCGS and is currently the only example certified by the company.
After Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, successors returned to not using portraits on coinage struck during their reigns. A number of factors led to this, including a weaker royal authority with a greater religious clerical influence and a move away from European style, returning to Islamic tradition. This is why the coinage featuring Fath-Ali Shah Qajar’s portrait is so rare and prized today.