What is the Zand Gold Quarter Mohur?

Among the most beautifully calligraphed Persian coins. It was struck in 1751–1779 CE at Khoy (also Shiraz, Isfahan, Tabriz, Kashan) under Karim Khan Zand.

What metal and weight is the Zand Gold Quarter Mohur?

Gold, weighing approximately ~2.74 g.

Persian Treasury

فارسی11 eras

Afsharid & Zand

Zand Gold Quarter Mohur

Among the most beautifully calligraphed Persian coins.

Key specifications for Zand Gold Quarter Mohur
Date	1751–1779 CE
Ruler / issuer	Karim Khan Zand
Mint	Khoy (also Shiraz, Isfahan, Tabriz, Kashan)
Metal	Gold
Weight	~2.74 g
Era	Afsharid & Zand (1736 – 1796 CE)
Region	Iran, Caucasus, parts of Central Asia

Obverse

Shia kalima with Twelve Imams.

Reverse

'Ya Karim' (play on his name and an attribute of God).

Historical context — Afsharid & Zand

Nader Shah Afshar struck silver rupees in conquered Mughal India and issued the heavy Nader Shahi silver. The Zand dynasty under Karim Khan minted the elegant 'rial' from Shiraz.

Read the full Afsharid & Zand essay →

Frequently asked

What is the Zand Gold Quarter Mohur?: Among the most beautifully calligraphed Persian coins. It was struck in 1751–1779 CE at Khoy (also Shiraz, Isfahan, Tabriz, Kashan) under Karim Khan Zand.
What metal and weight is it?: Gold, weighing approximately ~2.74 g.
What designs appear on it?: Obverse: Shia kalima with Twelve Imams. Reverse: 'Ya Karim' (play on his name and an attribute of God).

Nader Shah Silver Double Rupee

Nader Shah Afshar

1738–9 CE (AH 1151)

Bilingual issues struck after the conquest of Delhi in 1739.

Nader Shah Silver Rupee — Isfahan

Nader Shah Afshar

AH 1148–1160 / 1736–1747 CE

Struck at the former Safavid capital after Nader took the throne in 1736. Heavy issues from melted Mughal treasure circulated alongside his Indian-mint rupees.

Lydian Gold Stater of Croesus

King Croesus (Kroisos)

c. 561–546 BCE

Croesus, last king of Lydia, replaced the older electrum coinage with the world's first true bimetallic system in pure gold and pure silver — a model the Achaemenid daric/siglos would inherit a generation later.

Gold Daric (Type IV)

Darius I to Darius III

c. 485–330 BCE

The Greeks called them 'archers' — Agesilaus famously said he was 'driven out of Asia by 10,000 archers'.

Double Daric

Darius III / Alexander era

c. 336–300 BCE

Continuation of Persian types under Macedonian rule for paying mercenaries.

Bahram V Gold Dinar

Bahram V (Bahram Gur)

420–438 CE

Hero of Persian epic — celebrated in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh and Nezami's 'Haft Peykar'. Gold dinars are rare; eastern mints (Sind) supplied trade with India.

Source

Commons – Karim Khan Zand coin →