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20 Rials Rezā Pahlavī
| Issuer | Bank Melli Iran |
|---|---|
| Year | 1935 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Rials |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed entirely in rose-red, the reverse is dominated by a large central circular vignette enclosing the Imperial Lion and Sun emblem — a lion passant bearing a sword with a radiant sun rising behind it, surmounted by a crown — set within an elaborate wreath and guilloche border. A stylised Faravahar (winged Achaemenid symbol) spreads beneath the central medallion, flanking a lower decorative panel. The denomination numeral '20' appears at each corner, and the inscription 'بانک ملی ایران' is placed across the top, with 'بیست ریال' repeated in cartouches to the left and right. The printer's imprint 'AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY.' appears at the foot of the note. A date stamp in Persian numerals is visible at the right margin. |
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| Variants | P#26a - signature at left in Latin handwriting and Farsi dates stamped on back: 1312, 1313 and 1314 P#26b - both signatures in Farsi without date on back |
| Comments |
Bank Melli Iran was established in 1928 as part of Reza Shah's broader program to dismantle foreign financial control — specifically to end the Imperial Bank of Persia's monopoly on note issue, which had been a British concession since 1889. This note belongs to the first series fully under Iranian state authority, a shift with real political weight behind it.
The American Bank Note Company contract was a deliberate choice away from British printers, consistent with Reza Shah's policy of counterbalancing British influence by cultivating American and German commercial relationships throughout the 1930s.