Security Printing and Minting Organization

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]

Security Printing and Minting Organization

Formerly	Royal Persian Mint
Company type	State-owned enterprise
Industry	Minting Security printing
Predecessor	24 provincial mints[1]
Founded	June 14, 1877; 148 years ago (1877-06-14)[2]
Founder	Mohammad-Hasan Aminolzarb[3]
Headquarters	191, Pasdaran Ave., Tehran
Area served	Iran
Key people	Amir Shokri (Director)[4]
Products	Bahar Azadi Coin Commemorative coins Rial circulation coins, banknotes and cash cheques
Production output	800 million banknotes (2015–16[4])
Parent	Central Bank of Iran (Since September 23, 1962; 62 years ago (1962-09-23))[5] Ministry of Finance (1877–1962)
Website	spmo.ir

History

Founded in 1877 as the sole national mint zarab-khane (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]