Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
2 New Shekels The Twelve Spies
| Issuer | Bank of Israel |
|---|---|
| Year | 2019 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents a dynamic narrative scene rendered in fine relief, depicting two robed figures carrying an enormous cluster of grapes suspended from a pole borne across their shoulders — a direct illustration of the biblical account in Numbers 13 of the spies returning from Canaan. The figure on the left faces right, striding forward beneath the pole, while the figure on the right faces left in a mirroring pose, both rendered with expressive detail suggesting the weight of their burden. A large ear of wheat extends diagonally toward the upper right, symbolising the abundance of the Promised Land, while architectural elements suggestive of ancient stonework appear in the background to the left. The scene fills the field with no border legend, allowing the sculptural relief to convey the full narrative impact of the design. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Israel Mint, Jerusalem |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Part of Israel's long-running Biblical Art series, this issue commemorates the episode in Numbers 13 in which Moses dispatches twelve scouts into Canaan. Ten return with discouraging reports; only Caleb and Joshua argue for immediate conquest. The theological and political freight that narrative has carried — land, covenant, courage against consensus — has made it a recurring reference point in Zionist discourse since the nineteenth century.
The .999 fine silver specification places this outside Israel's earlier standard proof coinage, which typically ran at .925.