1 Sheqel Hanukka, Ashkenaz lamp

Israel's Hanukkah coin series, issued annually from 1958 onward, rotates through historical lamp types drawn from Jewish communities across the diaspora. The Ashkenaz lamp referenced here reflects the North and Central European Jewish tradition, distinct from the Sephardic and Yemenite variants featured in other years of the series. Each issue was produced in both a currency and a proof finish, with the proof strikes intended almost exclusively for collector sets sold through the state-run Israel Coins and Medals Corporation.

The .850 silver fineness is characteristic of Israel's sheqel-era commemoratives before the country's 1985 currency reform replaced the sheqel with the new sheqel at a 1,000-to-1 ratio — making this one of the final commemorative issues under the old denomination.