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1 Sheqel Hanukka - Prague Lamp
| Issuer | Bank of Israel |
|---|---|
| Year | 1983 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Obverse description | The State of Israel emblem — a menorah flanked by two olive branches — appears centrally, with the word 'Israel' inscribed in Hebrew, English, and Arabic. The denomination '1 SHEQEL' is rendered in both Hebrew and English below the emblem. The dual date '1983-5744' appears in the field, referencing both the Gregorian and Hebrew calendars. A Star of David mint mark distinguishes the brilliant uncirculated issue. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse depicts a finely detailed rendition of the historic Prague Hanukkah lamp, an ornate baroque-style oil lamp featuring elaborate foliate and scrollwork decoration across its upper register, with eight oil fonts suspended below. Two human figures in period dress flank the lamp on either side, each holding a vessel. A central roundel with a Star of David motif is prominently placed within the decorative body of the lamp. Below the lamp, a three-line Hebrew inscription identifies the piece, reading 'Hanukkah from Prague, the 18th century.' |
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| Additional information |
Israel's Hanukkah lamp series, begun in 1958, documents surviving Judaica from museum collections worldwide — each annual silver issue spotlighting a distinct menorah from a different country and century. The Prague lamp selected for this 1983 issue originates from the Jewish community of Bohemia, a community that endured repeated expulsions and a ghetto existence stretching back to the medieval period before achieving legal emancipation only in the mid-nineteenth century.
The series shifted to the sheqel denomination following Israel's 1980 currency reform, which replaced the pound at par before rampant inflation forced yet another redenomination — the new sheqel — just two years after this coin was struck.