Postage Stamp Chat Board & Stamp Forum

I will post here my Israel banknotes and coins collection. I will be happy if others will post their images since my collection is very small and far to be complete.

I will start with the second set issued in 1959 since I have it complete. It is a set of 5 banknotes of the Lira currency used in Israel in years 1948-1980. The Lira is the Hebrew word for Pound, and Lirot is the plural form (Pounds).

0.5 Lira - 1959 - P29:

Pioneer woman soldier holding a basket of oranges:
Tomb of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem:

1 Lira - 1959 - P30:

Fisherman carrying fishing gear:
Mosaic from the floor of the ancient synagogue in Ussafiya village, mount Carmel. The inscription inside the mosaic reads "Peace upon Israel":

5 Lirot - 1959 - P31:

Builder holding a sledge-hammer:
Ancient Hebrew seal found in Megiddo with a lion and inscription reads "Shema, servant of Yarob'oam":

10 Lirot - 1959 - P32:

Scientist in a laboratory:
Passage from the book of Isaiah, Dead Sea Scrolls:

50 Lirot - 1959 - P33:

Young pioneers on the background of the Negev Desert:
Mosaic from the ancient synagogue of Nirim in the Negev desert shows Jewish candelabrum (Menorah):
The original pioneer photo (upper right) used as a model to design the front of the banknote and the woman pioneer, Tsruya Shkedi-Ronen, holding the banknote:

The Bank of Israel was established on December 1, 1954 and issued its first set of banknotes in August-October 1955. It is a set of 5 banknotes from the I have three. The currency is Lira divided to 1000 Pruta (Prutot is the plural form). Here are the three banknotes:

500 Pruta - 1955 - P21:

Ruins of the ancient synagogue at Bir'am in upper Galilee:
Abstract design:

5 Lirot - 1955 - P26:

Negev desert landscape:
Abstract design:

10 Lirot - 1955 - P27:

View of the Jezreel Valley, north Israel:
Abstract design:
From the first set of Bank of Israel, still missing the 1 and 50 Lirot banknotes.

The third set of the Bank of Israel was issued during 1969-1972. It contains four banknotes all show Jewish personalities> Here they are:

5 Lirot - 1972 - P34:

Portrait of Prof. Albert Einstein:
The Israeli nuclear reactor in Nahal Soreq, Israel:

10 Lirot - 1970 - P35:

Portrait of Chaim Nachman Bialik, Israel's national poet:
Bialik's home in Tel-Aviv:

50 Lirot - 1972 - P36:

Chaim Weizman, Zionist leader and Israeli statesman who served as president of the Zionist Organization and later as the first president of Israel:
The Knesset, the Israeli Parliament building, Jerusalem:

100 Lirot - 1969 - P37:

Binyamin Ze'ev Herzl, Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist, writer and political activist, formed the Zionist Organization and promoted Jewish immigration to Eretz-Israel in an effort to form a Jewish state:



The Menorah, the coat of arms of the State of Israel, surrounded by the emblems of the Biblical twelve tribes of Israel:

Pruta Coins

The first set of coins issued by the Bank of Israel during 1948-1950 months after the establishment of the State of Israel on May 1948. The reverse designs of them were taken from ancient Hebrew coins used in Judea during the Roman period.

25 Mils - 1948:

The first coin of Israel - Still missing and I leave this space for it when I have it.

1 Pruta - 1949:
Reverse: Anchor, design taken from an ancient coin of Alexander Yannai, Hasmonean King of Judaea, 103-76 BCE.

5 Prutot - 1949:
Reverse: Harp, design taken from an ancient coin issued during Bar Kokhva Revolt period, a rebellion of the Jews of the Kingdom of Judea, led by Simon Bar Kokhva, against the Roman Empire, 132-135 CE:

10 Prutot - 1949 (first issue):
Reverse: Oil Jug used in the Jewish temple, design taken from an ancient coin issued during Bar Kokhva Revolt period, a rebellion of the Jews of the Kingdom of Judea, led by Simon Bar Kokhva, against the Roman Empire, 132-135 CE:

10 Prutot - 1952 (second issue):
Reverse: Design as above 10 Prutot coin:
More 5 coins in this set. I will show them next time.

25 Prutot - 1949:

Reverse: Cluster of Grapes, design taken from an ancient coin issued during Bar Kokhva Revolt period, 132-135 CE:

50 Prutot - 1949:

Reverse: Wine Leaf, design taken from an ancient coin issued during the First Revolt period, the first rebellion of the Jews of the Kingdom of Judea against the Roman Empire, 66-70 CE:

100 Prutot - 1949:

Reverse: Palm Tree, design taken from an ancient coin issued during Bar Kokhva Revolt period, 132-135 CE:

250 Prutot - 1950:

Reverse: Oat stalks, design taken from an ancient coin issued during the First Revolt period, the first rebellion of the Jews of the Kingdom of Judea against the Roman Empire, 66-70 CE:

Hi Eli,

As part of my collection of one currency note from each country:

5 Israeli Pounds Banknote from 1973

Depicts:
Obverse: Portrait of Henrietta Szold; Hadassah Hospital on Mt. Scopus in Jerusalem.
Reverse: Lion's Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The condition may not be great but its something I have had from years

As part of my collection of one coin from each country:
10 agorot coin

Great banknote, Sagi, depicting a great woman pioneer established the Hadassah woman organization in Israel which built many hospitals, schools, institutions, etc. Thanks for sharing it as well as the 10 Agorot coin which is still in use.

Don't worry about the condition, when the Corona pandemic over, I will send you one Israeli banknote.

Eli

New Lira Division Coins - Agorot

The second set of coins was issued by the Bank of Israel during 1960-1978 when the Lira currency division of 1000 Pruta (Plural: Prutot) was cancelled and the Lira was divided to 100 Agora (Plural: Agorot). The reverse designs of the coins were taken from ancient Hebrew coins used in Judea during the Roman period and from Archaeological findings in Israel.


1 Agora - 1960:


Reverse: Three ears of barley, design taken from an ancient coin of Agrippa I (37 - 44 C.E.):

5 Agorot - 1960:


Reverse: Three ripe pomegranates, design was taken from a carving in a frieze found in an ancient synagogue at Capernaum:

10 Agorot - 1960:


Reverse: Palm tree, design is based on Bar-Kochba coin (132 - 135 C.E.):

25 Agorot - 1960:


Reversa: Three-stringed lyre, design is based on Bar-Kochba coin (132 - 135 C.E.):

0.5 Israeli Lira (50 Agorot) - 1963:


Reverse: The Menorah, the emblem of the State of Israel, design is based on the Menorah relief of the Arch of Titus, Rome, Italy:


The Menorah relief of the Arch of Titus, Rome, Italy, photo I took in 2018:

Very nice to see currency I have never seen before. Thank you.

.
150 shekels with a story ...
.
.
In the early nineties I spent some years travelling through Europe and the Middle East, and was fortunate enough to spend time at an archaelogical dig at Beth Shean in Israel.

It's an odd story - I had rocked up to a Kibbutz on the outskirts of the town late at night for accommodation but they were full. So I hiked into the city, climbed over a fence with my backpack and spent the night on the steps among these ruins.
. .
In the morning about 6am I was woken by some workers, who were very surprised to find a foreigner asleep at their worksite.

After some fast talking, and showing them drawings from my sketchbook, I was put to work digging and drawing (the chief archaeologist, Nagar, liked to keep drawings as an additional record of the works).

I ended up staying for a few months, with accommodation and food included - great people, great experience.

Here's some samples I did over a few months in the vicinity of the gatehouse entrance and bridge where the dig was focussed, which are now stored somewhere in the bowels of the Israeli Antiquities Authority in Jerusalem:
. .
Sometime later in the year after I had eventually returned to Australia, I was touched by receiving a thankyou letter and the 150 shekels in the mail, which was apparently an unexpected token of payment for my efforts!
.

Thanks, Rigs, for sharing this wonderful story. I visited the Beth Shean ruins for the first time when I was a soldier in the IDF in the early 1980's, we had a tour there with an evening show in the stadium. As far as I know, the Beth Shean ruins don't appear on any Israeli banknote or coin, but a nice stamp shows the old Roman theater was issued by Israel on December 19, 2017:

1 Israeli Lira - 1967:


Reverse: Three pomegranates, design is based on a coin minted during the war of the Jews against Rome (66 - 70 C.E.):

5 Israeli Lirot - 1978:


Reverse: Roaring lion, design based on an ancient Hebrew seal found at Megiddo:

Coins of the Palestine pound

The Palestine pound was the currency of the British Mandate of Palestine from 1 November 1927 to 14 May 1948, and of the State of Israel between 15 May 1948, and 23 June 1952, when it was replaced with the Israeli Lira or Pound. The Palestine pound was also the currency of Transjordan until 1949 when it was replaced by the Jordanian dinar, and remained in usage in the West Bank of Jordan until 1950. In the Gaza Strip, the Palestine pound continued to circulate until April 1951, when it was replaced by the Egyptian pound.

One Palestine Pound was divided to 1000 Mil. In 1927 coins were introduced in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 mils. In all back side the word "Palestine" in Arabic, English, and Hebrew and a year of minting. In Hebrew, in addition to "Palestine", also mentions in the acronym (א״י) for Eretz Israel (Land of Israel).

1 Mil - Bronze coin:

Coins of the Palestine pound

2 Mils - Bronze Coin:

Coins of the Palestine pound

5 Mils - Cupro-Nickel Coin:

Coins of the Palestine pound

10 Mils - Cupro-Nickel Coin:

Coins of the Palestine pound

20 Mils - Cupro-Nickel Coin:

Etz and Pali

mbg1248 wrote: ↑

05 Feb 2021 20:47

Etz and Pali

I believe only two or three members understand your comment! Give us some nice explanation and bring back our good childhood memories!!


Coins of the Palestine pound

50 Mils - Silver Coin:

Coins of the Palestine pound

100 Mils - Silver Coin:

mbg1248 wrote: ↑

05 Feb 2021 20:47

Etz and Pali

Look at at the Palestine Mandate one mil and the two mil coins above. One side shows a tree ("Etz" in Hebrew) and the other side says "Palestine". So "Etz or Pali" became the local equivalent for "Heads or Tails". The phrase is still used today, where the side with the figure (e.g. with the pomegranates or lions in the 1 and 5 Lira coins shown above) is the "Etz" side.