The Mount Damavand Collection of Persian Banknotes

Foreword

The Mount Damavand Collection is among the finest collections of Persian banknotes ever to come to market. The collection is named for the immense dormant volcano located in northern Iran; Damavand is the highest peak in the country, and features prominently in Iranian folklore and Persian mythology, as well as being of great spiritual significance to Zoroastrians. The mountain appears for the first time on the first and second issues of the 500 Iranian Rials in the early 1930s, proofs and specimens of which can be found in this collection.

The collection is formed mainly of notes from the first and second issues of the Imperial Bank of Persia. The designs of these notes are nothing short of iconic - a term that is often overused, but is in this case entirely appropriate. Printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. or Waterlow & Sons, the notes represent a pinnacle of banknote design and engravers’ art, and are instantly recognisable to any collector of world banknotes.

The issued notes of the Imperial Bank of Persia are a collector’s dream come true: in addition to their beauty, they are available enough to make a collection...