History

The Order of the Crown, or the Order of Taj of Iran, was founded during the reign of Muzaffar ud-Din Shah in 1900 or 1913 as a general award of merit. The Order was modelled after the Order of the Crown of Belgium and was initially presented in I Class on an exclusive basis to recognize distinguished service made to Iran. The Order was retained and modified by Reza the Great following the establishment of the Pahlavi dynasty, and became the 2nd prestigious honour during the Pahlavi reign behind the Pahlavi Order. 4 Classes were added to the Order in addition to the I Class to reward Persian civil servants as well as foreigners for outstanding service provided to the state. The Order was abolished in 1979 upon the Islamic Revolution.

Despite modifications to the Order made during the Pahlavi era, the Order kept its original insignia of the Qajar crown throughout its lifespan.

A Special Class Grand Collar was also instituted. It is uncertain if the Special Class Grand Collar replaced the earlier I Class Collar. More information is needed.

The I Class was intended to reward past and present prime ministers.

Membership for the I Class was capped at 10 Persian recipients. Foreign recipients were not counted towards this contingent.

Persian members of the I Class were authorized to use the formal title "Jenab", which translates to "excellency," and are also entitled to a state funeral.

The I Class Breast Star obverse features a date in the Hejri calendar which corresponds to 1913.

All recipients of the Order are entitled to use the title of the Order as post-nominals on official correspondence.

The award must be returned to the state upon the death of the recipient.

There are multiple Iranian, European, and Russian manufacturers of the Order. As such, there may be multiple variations which differ by size and composition.

There is limited information regarding this item.