The Half Shekel
Year 55

Coin Description

New Holy Half-Shekel for year 55


Obverse

In the center of the obverse is the Biblical Tallith (Numbers 15:37-41).

Above the Biblical Tallith appears the date, in ancient Hebrew letters taken from the coinage of the First Rebellion (65-70 CE); "Shin Noon Heh" standing for "Shanah 'Noon-heh" (55th Year). As we have no custom of dating our coinage by foreign calenders, nor even from Creation, we took the example of our predecessors and dated our ceremonial coin from the Liberation of the Land of Israel. This year's coin, minted to be given on Purim of 2003, will open the 55th Year celebrations of the State of Israel.

Below the Biblical Tallith appear the words "Lo Heilech Chuki" (Not Legal Tender), to satisfy the needs of the Bank of Israel Law that we are not producing a currency substitute.

The legend along the right side of the coin reads "V'Natnu Ish Kofer Nafsho L'Hashem" ("And every person shall give an atonement for their soul to G-d") [Exodus 30:12], and continues with "Machatzit Hashekel B'Shekel Hakodesh" ("Half a Shekel of the Holy Shekel") [Exodus 30:13]

The same wording appears in the ancient Hebrew script as the legend along the left side of the coin. We did this as a continuation of our ancestors' custom of retaining the ancient script on our independent coinage, even after that script has been superceded by another version, as was the case with the First and Second Rebellion coins.



Reverse

The reverse features Stone weights from the First Temple Period, used to weigh silver and gold, featuring 2 shekel, 4 shekel and pym (2/3 shekel) weights. These were used prior to the advent of coined money.

The legend across the top reads "Heasher Lo Yarbeh, V'Hadal Lo Yamit" ("The rich shall not give more, nor the poor less".) [Exodus 30:15]

The legend across the bottom reads "L'Shem Ichud Klal Yisrael" ("For the sake of the unity of the whole House of Israel") [Beged Ivri]


Diameter:21.9 mm.
Weight:7.778 gr.
Edge:Smooth
Alloy:Silver .999
Design:Beged Ivri
Mint:Jerusalem
Mintage:TBA
Year:55 (2002/2003)
Date of Issue:Purim 5763 (18th March, 2003)


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