Iran's Emami Coin Premium Falls to Just 59,000 Tomans Today; Quarter and Gram Coins Still Cost 10 to 17 Percent More (Saturday, August 22, 2026)

On Saturday, August 22, 2026 (31 Mordad 1405), the gap between the market price of Iran's full Emami gold coin and its intrinsic gold value fell to its lowest level in recent weeks. Per Eghtesad Online at 14:45 Tehran time today, the Emami coin's premium (حباب, the gap between market price and the melt value of the gold inside) was just 59,000 tomans, under a tenth of a percent of the coin's price. But the same table showed the premiums on the quarter coin and the gram coin, two smaller denominations, still running 10 to 17 percent above their own intrinsic gold value; the "cheapening" seen today applied only to the large coins.

Background

This divergence extends a pattern that began in mid-Mordad (early August). On Monday, August 10, 2026, Sahmino reported that the premiums on the Emami coin and on melted (unminted) gold had fallen below zero for a second straight session, while the quarter coin's premium was still around 10 percent; the same gap visible today, just 12 days later with fresh numbers. Per Alanchand's live premium calculator (21:35 Tehran time tonight), the Emami coin's premium has averaged negative 0.33 percent over the past 30 days and positive 3.96 percent over the past year; its one-year low was negative 3.56 percent on August 7, 2026, and its one-year high, 14.61 percent, was recorded exactly one year earlier to the day, on August 22, 2025. In other words, tonight's reading sits about 4.5 percentage points below the coin's own one-year average, near the narrow end of its yearly range.

Today's Numbers

Per Eghtesad Online's table (14:45 Tehran time today), the Emami coin traded at 208 million tomans, the Bahar Azadi coin at 206.7 million tomans, the half coin at 106.3 million tomans, the quarter coin at 56.6 million tomans, and the gram coin at 30 million tomans. Each coin's premium at that moment was, respectively: 59,000 tomans (Emami), 4.331 million tomans (Bahar Azadi), 1.294 million tomans (half coin), 5.644 million tomans (quarter coin, about 10 percent of its price), and 4.477 million tomans (gram coin, about 15 percent of its price).

Per Sahmino's own price feed (19:59 Tehran time tonight), the Emami coin had climbed further, to 209.02 million tomans, meaning the rally continued into the evening. Alanchand's premium calculator, at 21:35 tonight, put the same gaps this way using its own methodology: the Emami coin at negative 0.60 percent (below intrinsic value), the half coin at 1.18 percent, the quarter coin at 9.94 percent, and the gram coin at 17.02 percent. Per Ecoiran (21:00 tonight), "the coin's negative premium today exited negative territory and reached zero," while the premium on melted gold (per mesghal) was estimated at about negative 1 percent; global spot gold was trading around $4,603.43 an ounce at the same hour, little changed from the prior day.

Drivers

The main driver of this divergence is the simultaneous rise in the free-market dollar rate and the coin's intrinsic value (calculated by multiplying the global gold ounce price by the dollar rate). When that theoretical value rises quickly, the market price of the Emami and Bahar Azadi coins, traded in larger volumes and more by professional dealers, tends to catch up with it faster. The quarter coin and gram coin, however, trade mostly in the retail market, for gifts or small savings; their more limited supply and the relatively higher minting cost per coin (a bigger share of a smaller coin's price) has produced a structural premium that does not close as quickly. The same pattern showed up on August 10, when the Emami coin's premium fell below zero while the quarter coin's premium was still around 10 percent.

Outlook

This section is interpretation, not a firm figure: as long as the free-market dollar and global gold keep rising together, the premium on the large coins will likely stay near zero, since their wholesale market reacts quickly to a rising intrinsic value. The premium on the small coins is less likely to close as quickly, given the structural nature of their retail market. A sudden drop in the free dollar rate, or a faster rise in physical demand for the large coins, could shift this balance in the coming days.

Bottom Line

On Saturday, August 22, 2026, the Emami coin's premium fell to just 59,000 tomans (negative 0.60 percent, per Alanchand's calculation), effectively zero, just 12 days after that same premium had gone negative on August 10. But this "cheapening" applies only to the large coins: a buyer of a quarter coin or a gram coin still pays 10 to 17 percent more than the value of the gold inside it. The takeaway for a coin buyer: which denomination you buy, not just when you buy it, decides how much premium you pay.

What to Watch

Whether the Emami coin's premium stays near zero in Sunday's trading (the start of Iran's week) or turns negative again; whether the quarter coin and gram coin premiums move meaningfully over the coming week; and how the free-market dollar rate behaves in the days ahead, since it directly drives the intrinsic value of both coin groups. For how the coin premium is calculated, see What Is the Coin Premium and How Is It Calculated?, and for comparison with the August 10 pattern, see Iran's Emami Coin and Melted-Gold Premiums Turn Negative on Monday, August 10, 2026.