Catalog
50 Mils Emergency Fractional Issue
| Issuer | Government of Israel |
|---|---|
| Year | 1948 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Palestine Pound (1948-1949) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | 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 | Central vignette reproduces a section of the mosaic floor from the ancient synagogue at Beit Alfa, rendered in terracotta tones on a cream ground. The denomination numeral "50" appears at upper left, flanked by the word "Israel" inscribed in Hebrew and Arabic scripts. The overall composition reflects the geometric and symbolic vocabulary of late antique Jewish decorative art. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 50 ישראל חמשים מיל (Translation: 50 Israel Fifty Mils) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Israel's first currency series, the Anglo-Palestine currency issued in 1948, was produced under considerable urgency — the State had declared independence in May of that year, and functional paper money was needed before the banking infrastructure was anywhere near settled. The fractional mils denominations, including this 50 Mils, were a direct consequence of the transition away from the Palestine Pound at parity, with small-denomination notes substituting for coins that simply hadn't been minted yet.
Otte Wallish, a German-born graphic artist who had emigrated to Mandatory Palestine in the 1930s, designed the entire inaugural series. His background in the Bauhaus-influenced European tradition is legible in the clean geometry of the layouts, unusual for emergency fractional paper of this period.