10 New Sheqalim Archeology

Israel's "Archaeology" gold series, launched in the 1980s, drew directly on excavation finds that were reshaping scholarly understanding of the ancient Levant in real time — several of the sites depicted had been actively dug within a decade of the coins' issue. The 1990 piece falls in the middle of that run, by which point the series had already attracted a following among collectors interested in Judaica and ancient Near Eastern history rather than bullion.

Bank of Israel issues of this type were produced at the Israel Government Coins and Medals Corporation facility in Jerusalem, with mintages kept deliberately low to support the secondary market.