World Banknote Auctions Offers Rare Specimens from the Imperial Bank of Persia

Unveiling the Rarity of Higher Denomination Issued Notes

In this sale, the three highest denominations available are the 50 Tomans, 100 Tomans, and the exceptionally rare 500 Tomans. The extremely rare 1000 Tomans is the only denomination missing from the auction. Among the notes offered, the 50 Tomans were printed with three prefixes and had a total circulation issue of 39,500 notes. However, according to the final accounting of the first series in 1931, only 114 of these notes remained outstanding. Additionally, there were 122 notes listed as “stolen,” which should have likely been included in the count of outstanding notes. It is worth noting that the reported number of stolen notes may have been exaggerated, as the responsibility of the Imperial Bank of Persia was limited to paying the Iranian government for outstanding notes, excluding those reported as stolen. Nevertheless, it is evident that an issued 50 Tomans note is exceedingly rare, to say the least. Similarly, the 100 Tomans note is also very rare, with 27,500 notes issued, 90 reported as “stolen,” and 63 outstanding as of 1931. The rarity of the 500 Tomans is even more pronounced, as only 1,400 notes were printed for circulation, and there is only a single note outstanding.