Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Looking for change in my pocket during a Toronto shoot with the amazing musician & artist Alicia Li (I’ve filmed her before!)… and instead of ordinary Canadian coins I pulled out this special piece I first thought was some old European coin.Turns out it’s a pre-1979 Iranian 5 Rials (پنج ریال) from the Pahlavi era under Mohammad Reza Shah. One side shows the classic Lion and Sun (Shir-o-Khorshid) emblem After the revolution the Lion-and-Sun design was discontinued, the coins were demonetized, and their face value became effectively zero in modern Iranian currency. Collectors still pay for nice examples of these historic pieces — this one looks like it’s in the $10+ range depending on exact year, condition, and demand.
Looking for change in my pocket during a Toronto shoot with the amazing musician & artist Alicia Li (I’ve filmed her before!)… and instead of ordinary Canadian coins I pulled out this special piece I first thought was some old European coin.Turns out it’s a pre-1979 Iranian 5 Rials (پنج ریال) from the Pahlavi era under Mohammad Reza Shah. One side shows the classic Lion and Sun (Shir-o-Khorshid) emblem After the revolution the Lion-and-Sun design was discontinued, the coins were demonetized, and their face value became effectively zero in modern Iranian currency. Collectors still pay for nice examples of these historic pieces — this one looks like it’s in the $10+ range depending on exact year, condition, and demand.
