This state of maladministration affects the poorer classes, for the copper currency forms their entire fortune. On coming to the throne the present Shah, with praiseworthy thoughtfulness, endeavoured to put a stop to this cause of misery in his people, and ordered the Government to withdraw some 720,000 tomans' worth of copper coins at 25 to 30 shais per kran. This had a good effect, and although much of the depreciated coin is still in circulation, particularly in out-of-the-way places, its circulation in the larger towns has been considerably diminished.
Lately the Government has adopted the measure of supplying the public with nickel coins, one-shai and two-shai pieces, which, although looked at askance at first, are now found very handy by the natives and circulate freely, principally in Resht, Kasvin, Teheran and Isfahan. In other cities I did not see any, nor would the natives accept mine in payment, and in villages no one would have anything to do with them as they were absolutely unknown. But wherever it has been possible to commence the circulation of these nickel coins—which were struck at the Brussels Mint and which are quite pretty—they have been accepted with great pleasure.
The old gold coins in circulation in Persia—very few and far apart—were the toman, half-toman, and two-kran piece. The gold had a legal fineness of 990. The legal weight in grains troy was: toman, 53.28; half-toman, 26.64; two-kran piece, 10.656. Weight in pure gold; toman, 51.7572; half-toman, 26.3736; two-kran piece, 10.54944.
The new coins are the two-tomans, one-toman (differentiated in 1879 and subsequent to 1879), half-toman and two-kran pieces, the gold having a legal fineness of 900. Legal weight:—
| > Two tomans. | One toman. 1879. | One toman. Subsequent to 1879. | Half toman. | Two kran piece. | |
| Grains troy | 100.64 | 50.32 | 44.40 | 22.20 | 8.88 |
| Weight in pure gold | 90.576 | 45.288 | 39.96 | 19.98 | 7.992 |
The new silver coinage consists of 2-kran pieces (five of which make a toman), one-kran, half-kran, and quarter-kran, all keeping to the legal fineness of 900 as in the older coins struck from 1857 to 1878:—
| Two krans. | One kran. | Half kran. | Quarter kran. | |
| Legal weight (grains troy) | 142.08 | 71.04 | 30.52 | 15.26 |
| Weight in grains silver | 127.872 | 63.936 | 27.468 | 13.734 |
The 1857 to 1878 coins were merely one-kran, half-kran, quarter-kran:—
| One kran. | Half kran. | Quarter kran. | |
| Legal weight | 76.96 | 38.48 | 19.24 |
| Weight in pure silver | 69.264 | 34.632 | 17.316 |