Silver coinage of Persia and Iran
Silver was the everyday money of the Iranian plateau: sigloi, drachms, dirhams, abbasis and krans. 57 catalogued examples spanning Pre-Achaemenid & Median, Achaemenid Empire, Seleucid Persia.
In short
Silver was the working money of the Iranian plateau for 2,500 years: the Achaemenid siglos, the Parthian and Sasanian drachm, the Islamic dirham, the Safavid abbasi and the Qajar kran are all silver, and together they account for the large majority of surviving Iranian coinage. Silver accounts for 57 of the catalogued Persian and Iranian pieces, spanning 600 BCE – 1925 CE. Silver was the everyday money of the Iranian plateau: sigloi, drachms, dirhams, abbasis and krans. Denominations struck in this material include Siglos, Obol, Drachm, Tetradrachm and 5 more.
- Catalogued
- 57
- Eras
- 10
- Metals
- 1
- Denominations
- 9
Key facts
| Catalogued pieces | 57 |
|---|---|
| Date range | 600 BCE – 1925 CE |
| Eras represented | Pre-Achaemenid & Median, Achaemenid Empire, Seleucid Persia, Parthian (Arsacid) Empire, Sasanian Empire, Arab-Sasanian & Early Islamic, Timurid & Safavid, Afsharid & Zand, Qajar Dynasty, Pahlavi Dynasty |
| Metals | Silver |
| Denominations | Siglos, Obol, Drachm, Tetradrachm, Dirham, Abbasi, Rupee, Kran, Rial |
| Mints | Sardis, Western Asia Minor, Babylon, Samaria, Gaza, Ashkelon, Sidon, Magnesia on the Maeander, Ecbatana / Antioch, Bactra |
| Issuers | Xerxes I – Artaxerxes II, Achaemenid satrap (probably Tiribazos), Mazaios, Satrap of Babylon, Local Achaemenid governors, Abd'ashtart I / Straton I of Sidon, Antiochos I Soter (Seleucid), Antiochus III, Diodotus I (Greco-Bactrian) |
| Siglos | ~5.4–5.6 g, Achaemenid, mostly Sardis |
| Drachm | ~3.7–4.2 g, Parthian and Sasanian |
| Dirham | ~2.9 g, Islamic, epigraphic |
| Abbasi | ~7.7 g, Safavid |
| Kran | ~4.6 g, Qajar |
The main silver denominations
The siglos (about 5.4–5.6 g) is the Achaemenid silver companion to the daric, struck chiefly at Sardis at twenty to the gold coin. The drachm — Parthian at about 3.7–4.0 g, Sasanian at about 4.0–4.2 g on a much broader flan — is the most collected Iranian coin of all.
After the Islamic reform the dirham takes over at roughly 2.9 g, thin and broad with purely epigraphic faces. The Safavid abbasi arrives near 7.7 g and drifts lighter through the seventeenth century, and the Qajar kran settles at about 4.6 g, machine-struck at Tehran from 1877.
Toning, cleaning and grade
Original surface is the single largest value factor in Iranian silver. Cabinet toning — grey, gold or iridescent — is desirable and should never be removed. Harshly cleaned coins show fine parallel hairlines under raking light and a flat, over-bright surface, and typically sell for a substantial discount.
Horn silver, a hard grey-purple crust of silver chloride, is common on buried ancient silver and is not removable without damaging detail. Accept it as part of the coin or buy elsewhere; do not attempt chemical treatment.
Where the value sits
Because Sasanian and Islamic silver survives in enormous quantity, worn examples are among the cheapest genuine ancient coins available anywhere. Premiums attach to early rulers, scarce mints, dated first-year issues, complete unclipped flans with full borders, and any coin whose legend and mint signature are fully readable.
Pre-Achaemenid & Median · c. 1000 – 550 BCE
Era overview →Achaemenid Empire · 550 – 330 BCE
Era overview →Seleucid Persia · 312 – 141 BCE
Era overview →Parthian (Arsacid) Empire · 247 BCE – 224 CE
Era overview →Sasanian Empire · 224 – 651 CE
Era overview →Arab-Sasanian & Early Islamic · 651 – 1258 CE
Era overview →Timurid & Safavid · 1370 – 1736 CE
Era overview →Afsharid & Zand · 1736 – 1796 CE
Era overview →Qajar Dynasty · 1789 – 1925 CE
Era overview →Pahlavi Dynasty · 1925 – 1979 CE
Era overview →Frequently asked about Silver
- Which Persian silver coin is the most common?
- The Sasanian drachm. It was struck in vast numbers for four centuries and worn examples of Khosrow I, Khosrow II and Peroz I remain inexpensive today.
- Should you clean ancient Persian silver coins?
- No. Cleaning removes original toning and leaves hairlines that permanently reduce value; collectors and grading services both penalise it heavily.
- What is a Silver?
- Silver accounts for 57 of the catalogued Persian and Iranian pieces, spanning 600 BCE – 1925 CE. Silver was the everyday money of the Iranian plateau: sigloi, drachms, dirhams, abbasis and krans. Denominations struck in this material include Siglos, Obol, Drachm, Tetradrachm and 5 more.
- How many Silver pieces are catalogued on Persian Treasury?
- 57 items, dated 600 BCE – 1925 CE, spread across 10 eras: Pre-Achaemenid & Median, Achaemenid Empire, Seleucid Persia, Parthian (Arsacid) Empire, Sasanian Empire, Arab-Sasanian & Early Islamic.
- Which metals were used for Silver coinage?
- Silver. Each entry records the metal, the approximate weight where known, and a cited reference.
- Which denominations are associated with Silver?
- Siglos, Obol, Drachm, Tetradrachm, Dirham, Abbasi. Every denomination has its own reference page with dated examples.
- Where were Silver coins minted?
- Recorded mints include Sardis, Western Asia Minor, Babylon, Samaria, Gaza, Ashkelon, Sidon, Magnesia on the Maeander.