25 Lirot Independence

Israel's 25th independence anniversary issue, struck in 1977, coincided with one of the most dramatic political ruptures in the country's history — the same year Menachem Begin's Likud party ended nearly three decades of uninterrupted Labor dominance in the Knesset. The half-silver composition was a deliberate cost compromise; earlier independence issues had used .900 fine silver, but rising bullion prices through the mid-1970s forced the Bank of Israel to reduce fineness while maintaining a collectible weight.