Security Printing and Minting Organization
Iranian mint, subsidiary of the Central Bank of Iran / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Security Printing and Minting Organization (SPMO; Persian: سازمان تولید اسکناس و مسکوک, romanized: sāzmān-e towlid-e eskenās va maskuk, lit. 'Bills and Coins Production Organization')[6] is a subsidiary of the Central Bank of Iran responsible for design, production and elimination of banknotes and coinage in Iran under the exclusive authority.[7]
Formerly | Royal Persian Mint |
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Company type | State-owned enterprise |
Industry | |
Predecessor | 24 provincial mints[1] |
Founded | June 14, 1877; 146 years ago (1877-06-14)[2] |
Founder | Mohammad-Hasan Aminolzarb[3] |
Headquarters | 191, Pasdaran Ave., |
Area served | Iran |
Key people | Amir Shokri (Director)[4] |
Products |
|
Production output | 800 million banknotes (2015–16[4]) |
Parent | Central Bank of Iran (Since September 23, 1962; 61 years ago (1962-09-23))[5] Ministry of Finance (1877–1962) |
Website | spmo |
Founded in 1877 as the sole national mint (zarrabḵana) of Iran, it replaced multiple provincial mints.[8][9] It was constructed at the place of a former cotton factory in northern Tehran, and used French machinery[10] while the original building was built by the Belgians.[11] Senior Münze Österreich official, Franz Pechan von Prägenberg, contributed to technically operate the mint.[12] In 1931, Germans provided the mint with new machinery.[13]
Iranian banknotes were not printed by the organization until 1982;[14] instead they were outsourced abroad to Bradbury Wilkinson and Company, Waterlow and Sons, American Bank Notes Co and De La Rue.[15] Koenig & Bauer reportedly refused to provide the organization with equipment in 2012.[16]