ISRAELI COINS

Israel Lira

Half Lira, 1969

The obverse shows a Menorah or a Hanukkah having 7 candle stands flanked by sprigs. This is the national symbol or emblem of Israel. It is also their coat of arms. The menorah has a special place among the Jews. It gained its place in Jewish folklore during the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy when the Jews lighted a menorah with enough oil for one day, but it miraculously lasted for 8 days until another one could be found. So menorahs having 8 stands were also created , and ones even having 9 slots for candles with the centre one being an auxiliary candle used to light the other candles. Menorahs have different styles but the one on the coin is the original one.

1 Lira, 1977

The obverse shows stylized pomegranates.

Weight: 9 gm

Metal: copper-nickel

Diameter: 27.5mm

The Hebrew language is definitely hard to understand and so far I have not been able to make any head or tail of it. I do not get even the number system, I have got to know the dates on these coins by looking up in a table.

Israel sheqalim

1 sheqel, 1981

The object shown on the reverse is a chalice, a cup like vessel used for holding wine. In Christian tradition, the Holy Chalice was the vessel that Jesus used to serve wine in The Last Supper. There was a similar vessel about which it is said that the blood of Jesus was collected in it after the crucifixion. It is also known as the Holy Grail. That is talking about the religious importance of this particular object.

5 new Sheqalim

This coin shows an ancient column on the reverse.This one is 5 new sheqalim . 1 new sheqel is made of 100 agorot and 1000 old sheqalim are equivalent to 1 new sheqel.

10 sheqalim, 1982

The reverse shows an ancient galley, a boat with a number of oars rowed usually by slaves.

100 sheqalim, 1984

The reverse shows a Menorah or a Hanukkah, which is one of the oldest symbols of oldest symbols of Jewish faith, along with the star of David. The Menorah is essentially a candle stand having seven candles as shown on the coin, and traditional lighting is done with ritually pure olive oil. This simple candle stand became a part of Jewish folklore during the rededication of the temple in the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy. A menorah was lighted with olive oil sufficient for one day, but it lasted for 8 days until another could be found. This caused the rise of variations of the Hanukkah having 8 or 9 slots for candles , with the ninth one being an auxiliary candle used to light the other candles. Now some random variations have also been made of the Menorah.

Posted By :Shubham Gupta