Catalog
1000 Sheqalim Moses Maimonides
| Issuer | Bank of Israel |
|---|---|
| Year | 1983 |
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| Value | 1000 Sheqalim (1000 ILR) |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette presents a portrait of Maimonides (Rambam — Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, 1138–1204), with a passage from his manuscript of the Mishneh Torah (code of Jewish law) as background underprint. Inscriptions in Hebrew give the denomination "One Thousand Sheqalim" and the issuer "Bank of Israel" along with Maimonides' Hebrew name and life dates along the right edge. The numeral 1000 and the Hebrew year 5743 (1983) appear on the face. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A stylized panoramic vignette of Tiberias, the city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee where Maimonides is buried, occupies the central field. An ancient menorah (candelabrum) motif appears as an additional design element. Inscriptions rendering the denomination "1000 Sheqalim" and the issuer "Bank of Israel" are given in Arabic and English, with the place name Tiberias in both Hebrew and English. |
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The 1000 Sheqalim note was part of the first series issued under the short-lived sheqel, introduced in 1980 to replace the lira at par. By the time this denomination entered circulation, Israeli inflation was already severe — it would reach over 400% annually by 1984, rendering high-denomination notes like this one functionally obsolete within months of issue. The sheqel itself was replaced by the new sheqel in 1986 at a ratio of 1000:1, meaning this note's face value translated exactly to one new sheqel.
Canadian Bank Note Company produced a number of Israeli issues during this period. Narkiss, who also contributed to earlier Bank of Israel series, was one of the more technically accomplished engravers working on Israeli currency.