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1000 Rials Rezā Pahlavī
| Issuer | Bank Melli Iran |
|---|---|
| Year | 1935 |
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| Reference(s) | P#30 |
| Obverse description | Dark green intaglio-printed note with intricate guilloche borders and corner numerals reading 1000. Two central vignettes are set within ornate frames: at left, a bas-relief scene of an Achaemenid warrior in ancient Persian dress, and at right, a three-quarter portrait of Reza Shah Pahlavi in military uniform with decorations. The denomination 1000 appears in an oval cartouche at center, with the Persian inscription 'یک هزار ریال' below in large script. Two signature lines and the Bank Melli Iran emblem appear at lower center. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | بانک ملی ایران یک هزار ریال (Translation: Bank Melli Iran / One Thousand Rials) |
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| Comments |
Bank Melli Iran was established in 1927 as part of Reza Shah's aggressive push to modernize Iranian financial infrastructure and, critically, to displace the British-controlled Imperial Bank of Persia, which had held note-issuing rights since 1889. This note belongs to the first high-denomination series fully under Iranian state control — a direct consequence of that political rupture.
The American Bank Note Company contract reflected a deliberate choice to engage American rather than British printing expertise. Iran was playing its foreign relationships carefully in the 1930s, and the sourcing of banknote production was not a neutral procurement decision.