TEHRAN -- An envelope which dates back to the Qajar dynasty was sold for 11,000 Swiss francs at a cyber-auction last month in Switzerland, the Persian service of the Cultural Heritage News (CHN) agency announced on Saturday.

An Iranian collector’s stamps and postal documents from the time of the Qajar and Pahlavi dynasties were put on sale at the auction.

The envelope, bearing the inscription “Al-Sultan Mohammad Ali”, was the most expensive item of the collection. It came from the time of Ahmad Shah, the last king of the Qajar dynasty. The most important feature of the envelope is the surcharge seal.

The envelope was sent from Sanandaj to another Iranian city after Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar was dethroned. His supporters in Sanandaj then rebelled against the central government and declared independence.

At that time, letters which were sent from Sanandaj to other cities were stamped with Mohammad Ali Shah’s seal and they were surcharged by the government after they were sent out of Sanandaj.

The senders had to return the envelopes after they received their letters so that the envelopes could be destroyed by the government.

Experts believe that the envelope was sold at a higher price than its real value and that a U.S.-based Iranian purchased it.

Many Iranians living in the United States are interested in collecting stamps and envelopes from Iran.