100 Sheqalim Piedfort Proof Set Issue

Piedfort coinage — struck at double the normal planchet thickness — has roots in French minting practice going back centuries, used originally as presentation pieces for royalty and later adopted by modern mints as premium collector issues. Israel's use of the format in the 1980s followed a broader international trend, with the Royal Mint and others having revived piedfort sets for collectors in the late 1970s. The Bank of Israel issued this piece during a period of severe domestic inflation that ultimately forced a currency reform: the sheqel was replaced by the new sheqel in 1986 at a ratio of 1,000 to 1.