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Posted 07/29/2011 05:34 am
OK, now that we know exactly what it is - an Iranian Nowruz (New Year) token - we can look for examples elsewhere.
There are nine Nowruz tokens on zeno.ru. Two of them, this one and this one, have exactly the same design as yours; both of those are brass. None of the examples on zeno.ru are gold. This one is a similar design in silver, and is dated 1339 (AD 1960).
Now let's look on ebay. This one is a silver example, not too dissimilar to a couple on zeno.ru, for sale for Can$12. This guy has got at least three of these rooster ones, for sale for $11; those same tokens seem to be all over the Internet if you do a Google search for "nowruz tokens". Unfortunately, nobody seems to be selling brass ones, and the only evidence I can find that solid gold ones actually exist is in this 1995 Stephen Album auction pdf, scroll down to lot 483, estimate $5. Unfortunately, no pic. Given the similarity in design with the brass ones on zeno.ru, I suspect yours is brass, too, and would be worth less than these silver ones. However, if you can prove it's solid gold, then we're talking bullion value. I doubt it would be worth more than that.
All of the dated tokens I could find seem to date from the 1950s or 1960s; dating the tokens may have been just a passing fad back then. I also suspect that the ones with dates on them are more "historic" and perhaps more meaningful to some people (who might have been born that year, for example) than generic pieces without a date.
There are nine Nowruz tokens on zeno.ru. Two of them, this one and this one, have exactly the same design as yours; both of those are brass. None of the examples on zeno.ru are gold. This one is a similar design in silver, and is dated 1339 (AD 1960).
Now let's look on ebay. This one is a silver example, not too dissimilar to a couple on zeno.ru, for sale for Can$12. This guy has got at least three of these rooster ones, for sale for $11; those same tokens seem to be all over the Internet if you do a Google search for "nowruz tokens". Unfortunately, nobody seems to be selling brass ones, and the only evidence I can find that solid gold ones actually exist is in this 1995 Stephen Album auction pdf, scroll down to lot 483, estimate $5. Unfortunately, no pic. Given the similarity in design with the brass ones on zeno.ru, I suspect yours is brass, too, and would be worth less than these silver ones. However, if you can prove it's solid gold, then we're talking bullion value. I doubt it would be worth more than that.
All of the dated tokens I could find seem to date from the 1950s or 1960s; dating the tokens may have been just a passing fad back then. I also suspect that the ones with dates on them are more "historic" and perhaps more meaningful to some people (who might have been born that year, for example) than generic pieces without a date.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
