A rare coin dating back to the Sassanid dynasty (226-651), is identified by an Iranian coin expert and would be soon unveiled in Tehran.

Hussein Pakzadian has managed to recognize this coin, though its marks had not been registered among already discovered Sasanid coins. He intends to display it Tehran’s Money Museum in near future.

“Unfortunately we have no clue where the original coin is. Maybe it is kept in the local stocks of Iranian museums or private collections. We are going to introduce it in a joint session with museum directors to see whether they can give us any hint,” he said. “Meanwhile, we are going to publish its details in oversees journals, because tracking it down is vital for us to learn more about the dynasty.”

He observed that the coin must have been minted in mid-Sasanid era, because at that time Iran faced huge economic challenges, making a big slump in purity of the gold used in coins. “In early Sasanid heydays, coins had more elaborated designs and marks. Indeed they still used the artistic style developed by Arsacids, or Parthians (247 B.C.-226 A.D.).

 

During the final years of the Sasanids, especially since Ghobad’s reign when huge war booty inundated the nation, the coin industry boomed again and Sasanids’ numerous victories helped courts to produce more beautiful coins,” he concluded.