Stamp Investment Tip: Iran 1957 Tehran-Meshed Railway Issue (Scott #1074-76)

In 1957, Iran issued a set of stamps commemorating the opening of the Tehran-Meshed Railway (Scott #1074-76). 50,000 sets were issued, and Scott '10 prices the unused set at $47.00. The vast majority were used as postage.


Stamps of Iran are not widely collected at present, partly for political reasons and partly because of the ubiquity of fakes among the early overprinted issues. Nevertheless, it is an oil-rich nation (ranked second in both oil and natural gas reserves) of 76 million people, and there are signs that many of them are becoming fed up with the corrupt and reactionary theocracy that is isolating Iran from the rest of the world. Furthermore, it is beginning to diversify away from its dependence on oil into other industries, such as biotech, nanotech, and pharmaceuticals, and it has the potential to develop a thriving tourism sector, should it institute reforms and begin to improve its image.


I view this set as a scarce Railroad topical issue which should do very well if the situation improves in Iran.