Islamic Republic

Islamic Republic 10000 Rial (1981)

Highest denomination of the second IR series, issued before the 1992 Khomeini-portrait redesign.

Key specifications for Islamic Republic 10000 Rial (1981)
Date	1981
Mint	Bank Markazi Iran
Metal	Paper
Era	Islamic Republic (1979 – present)
Region	Iran

Obverse

Friday prayer congregation, with revolutionary slogans.

Reverse

Holy shrine vignette.

Historical context — Islamic Republic

Post-revolution coinage replaced the Lion-and-Sun with floral and architectural motifs. Banknotes feature Khomeini portrait from 1992, and have ranged from 100 to 1,000,000 rial. Toman (10 rial) is being reintroduced as the official unit in 2020s currency reform.

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Frequently asked

What is the Islamic Republic 10000 Rial (1981)?: Highest denomination of the second IR series, issued before the 1992 Khomeini-portrait redesign. It was struck in 1981 at Bank Markazi Iran.
What metal and weight is it?: Paper.
What designs appear on it?: Obverse: Friday prayer congregation, with revolutionary slogans. Reverse: Holy shrine vignette.

Overprinted Pahlavi 5000 Rial — Khomeini Arabesque

Transitional issue, Islamic Republic

1979–1981

Following the 1979 revolution, existing stocks of high-denomination Pahlavi notes were over-printed to remove the Shah's image while replacement notes were designed.

Islamic Republic 100 Rial — Khomeini Series

1985 onwards

The 100 rial note became the workhorse low denomination of the post-revolutionary era; later supplanted by the coin.

Islamic Republic 2000 Rial (1982)

1981–1982

Second IR series, with revolutionary imagery replacing royal portraits.

Islamic Republic 5000 Rial (1981)

1981

Second-series IR high denomination; replaced the over-printed Pahlavi notes.

Islamic Republic 10,000 Rial — Khomeini / Damavand

1992 – present

Workhorse banknote of the modern era, reissued repeatedly with security upgrades.

Islamic Republic 50,000 Rial = 5,000 Toman Note (Redenomination Series)

2021 – present

Phase-one of the planned 1:10,000 redenomination — banknotes carry both 'rial' (legal) and 'toman' (popular) values during transition. Full redenomination implementation was repeatedly delayed.

Source

Commons – 10000 IRR 1981 →