Iran 500,000 Rials Cheque 2018 (50 Tomans, Damavand and Imam Reza Shrine). Iberoamericana Banknotes

October 19, 2026

Iran Cheque de 500.000 riales 2018, P164, sin circular: monte Damavand nevado y cúpula dorada con minarete del santuario del Imán Reza en Mashhad

⚠️ First of all: Iranian banknotes cannot be paid for with PayPal. Due to PayPal's policies on products of Iranian origin, at checkout you will have to choose one of the other available payment methods.

Sold exclusively as a collectible: they are uncirculated numismatic pieces for collectors, not currency for exchange or a means of payment.

This banknote has a particularity that makes it different from all the previous ones: it is not officially a banknote, but a cheque. The 2018 Iran Cheque 500,000 rials (Pick 164, 500000 rials Iran cheque) is a bearer document from the Central Bank that circulates as money, and on its two sides it brings together the mountain and the sanctuary most symbolic of Iran. The design was presented on January 1, 2019 and was one of the first to show the "50" of the future tomanes.

We sell it uncirculated. If you are interested in seeing how it has evolved, compare it with the 2025 Iran Cheque 500,000 rials banknote (50 tomanes); both are in our set of 10 Iranian banknotes. Buy it here!

Why a "cheque"?

Until 2008, the major Iranian banks issued their own bearer cheques that looked like banknotes for large payments. In August 2008, the Central Bank banned them and began issuing its own: the Iran Cheques. Legally they are not banknotes, but they are legal tender and in practice they are used the same way. That is why they bear the legend "IRAN CHEQUE" and in Farsi "ایران چک".

The face of Damavand

The volcano, with its almost perfect cone and snow-capped peak, occupies the entire left half, drawn in shades of pink and purple on a yellow sky.
A strip of stylized flowers and leaves below the mountain, like the border of a rug.
The English texts "CENTRAL BANK OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN" and "IRAN CHEQUE", the figure "500000" in pink and a large golden "50" on the right.

The Damavand (5,610 m) is the highest peak in Iran and the highest volcano in Asia. In Ferdowsi's Shahnameh it is where the hero Fereydun chains the tyrant Zahhak, and from its peak, according to legend, the archer Arash launched the arrow that fixed the country's border. Few mountains carry so much symbolism.

The face of the sanctuary

The great golden dome of the Imam Reza sanctuary in Mashhad, seen up close, with a decorated band at its base.
A minaret also golden to its right, with its balcony.
Pigeons flying over the sky: the pigeons of the sanctuary are famous, which pilgrims consider sacred.
The name of the bank and "ایران چک" in calligraphy, the signatures and the serial numbers in two formats.

The sanctuary houses the tomb of Imam Reza, the eighth imam of Shia Islam, who died in the year 818. It is the largest religious complex in Iran and receives millions of pilgrims a year.

Security and technical sheet

Security thread in windows, second embedded thread, watermark with electrotype and intaglio printing. The Central Bank did not publish a detailed sheet for this version.

Type: Iran Cheque · Catalog: Pick 164 (B296 in The Banknote Book)
Date: no printed date; design presented on 01-01-2019. Our specimen is the 2018 version.

For your collection

It is the best gateway to the world of Iran Cheques, a category of paper money that few countries have. And it is the perfect companion to its 2025 successor, with the same two symbols drawn in a different way.

Remember: it is sold as a collectible and does not accept payment with PayPal. International shipping, original and uncirculated banknotes, and specialized attention for any questions.