2 New Sheqalim Hanukkah - Persian Lamp

Israel's annual Hanukkah coin series, running since 1958, ties each year's issue to a lamp from a specific Jewish diaspora community — in this case, Persia. The Persian lamp chosen reflects the long history of Jewish settlement in Iran, a community that predates the Islamic conquest by over a millennium and was still substantially intact when this coin was struck, though sharply diminished following the 1979 revolution.

The .850 fineness is characteristic of Israeli silver commemoratives of this period, slightly below sterling — a cost consideration that created its own consistent series identity.