QUERY: THE FIRST COINS OF ISRAEL

These coins were the first ones minted by the State of Israel in 1948. They were mostly (perhaps exclusively) minted in the town of Holon, shortly after Israel's Independence Day on May 14, 1948. There are a number of different versions to this story, but I have gleaned some basics in my research. When the British withdrew their mandate, they took with them much of the circulating coinage, which were primarily Palestine prutas & mils. This left the fledgling State of Israel in a precarious situation financially, as well as militarily.

The decision was made to create a coinage of their own, with only what they had, through what they could; so the Mint at Holon was created using the facilities of a jewelry business in town. Aluminum was procured, dies were made & the minting of Israel's first coin was commenced. One die was stored in Jerusalem, while the other remained in Holon. Every day required that the Jerusalem die be transported to Holon via roads, through much hostile territory. This greatly reduced the number of coins that could be minted daily, but did provide the needed controls so that the value of each piece could be determined. The designs were based on ancient motifs; a cluster of grapes on the obverse & two stylized olive branches encircling the value 25 on the reverse. Both of these patterns were based on Jewish coins struck during the Bar Kochba Revolt of 132-135 AD. By the end of 1948, a total of of 42,650 Israel 25 Mils pieces were minted.

So much in this story truly points to the miracle that is Israel! Not only did a nation come into being in one day, as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 66:8), but even the quantity of 42,650 minted in 1948 is considered prophetic (Ezra 2:64), as it is so close to the number of Jews that returned to Judah from Babylon (42,360). Probably nothing is as profound however, as the bravery of those minting the coins who were in extreme danger, from a bombardment of rocket & mortar fire around them.

The nation's mint workers were under constant danger, while working to supply the financial survival of their nation. What Patriots these men were! These coins, perhaps as few others, truly contain a storied history of sacrifice & bravery by those who brought them into being. The rather amazing thing about them today is that they are still available in XF to AU condition for very reasonable prices online. I have recently seen them on eBay for between $95.00 to $200.00!

To read the complete article, see:
Select Israeli Coins 25 Mils, 1948 - Israel's First Coin Issue (https://notes.www.collectors-society.com/WCM/CoinView.aspx?sc=582835)

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