SET 1958-1960 ISRAEL 1/2 ,1,5,10,50 LIROT P#29a,P#30c,P#31a,P#32c P#33c PMG 66

Description

SET 1958-1960  ISRAEL 1/2 ,1,5,10,50 LIROT P#29a,P#30c,P#31a,P#32c P#33c PMG 66
1/2 Lira
Obverse:  woman soldier
Reverse:  tomb of the Sanhedrin, Jerusalem
Dominant color:  green
Dimensions:  130 x 72 mm
Signatures:  David Horowitz, Governor Bank of Israel; Yitzhak Nebenzahl, Chairman Advisory Council
Printers (unverified):  Royal Joh. Enschedé, Haarlem/Netherlands
The obverse of the 1/2 Lira (Bank of Israel series II) banknote shows a woman soldier holding a basket of oranges against a background of verdant fields. At least five women - not all on active military service at that time - posed for the photograph that would be used by the designers. When the banknote was released, each claimed that she is the one depicted on the banknote. However, in fact the figure that appears on the 1/2 Lira note is a composite of several photographs of several women. A close look at both the left and right images reveals that there is a distinct likeness between the head of the figure of the banknote and that of the woman in the left photograph. The posture of the body and the way the figure on the banknote holds the basket strongly resemble that of the woman in the right photograph.
The banknote's reverse depicts the Tomb of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, a Jewish burial cave from the late Second Temple period (1st century AD). According to Jewish tradition, members of the Great Sanhedrin, then the highest institute of Jewish law, were buried here.
1 Lira
Obverse:  fisherman
Reverse:  floor mosaic from ancient synagogue in Isfiya on Mount Carmel
Dominant color:  blue
Dimensions:  135 x 75 mm
Signatures:  David Horowitz, Governor Bank of Israel; Yitzhak Nebenzahl, Chairman Advisory Council
Printers (unverified):  Royal Joh. Enschedé, Haarlem/Netherlands
A fisherman carrying his gear is the subject of the 1 Lira (Bank of Israel series II) banknote. In contrast to the 1/2 Lira banknote of the same series, the designers sufficed with several photographs of the same person. Apparently they chose the middle image, turned some 30º to the left, as the basis for the figure that appears on the banknote. The photo session was held in Michmoret on the Mediterranean coast (not in Eilat as commonly believed). The only places where mountains (almost) reach the shore in Israel are Haifa (Cape Carmel), to the south of Eilat, at several spots around the Sea of Galilee, and at Rosh Hanikra in the far north. The small fishing boats in the foreground would fit well into a Sea of Galilee scene, but the ocean-going passenger vessel in the background dispels that possibility. Haifa is out of contention too, as the area around Cape Carmel was already heavily urbanized in the 1950s when the banknote was designed. It is therefore understood that the designers had no specific geographical location in mind when drawing the background for the obverse of the 1 Lira banknote.
The exact location of the image on the reverse is well known, though. In 1930, by sheer chance, a small fragment of an ancient mosaic floor was discovered in a street in the village of Isfiya on Mount Carmel. In 1933 further excavations were conducted, exposing more of the same mosaic, which turned out to be part of the floor of a synagogue built in the 6th century AD. The designers of the banknote completed the image, which reads "Shalom al Yisrael" (Peace to Israel).
5
Lirot
Obverse:  laborer
Reverse:  "Roaring Lion" Seal of Shema, servant of King Jeroboam II (8th century BC)
Dominant color:  brown
Dimensions:  140 x 78 mm
Signatures:  David Horowitz, Governor Bank of Israel; Yitzhak Nebenzahl, Chairman Advisory Council
Printers (unverified):  Thomas de la Rue, London
For the obverse of the 5 Lirot (Bank of Israel series II) banknote, the figure of a laborer holding a sledgehammer with industrial structures in the background was chosen as the main subject. Several men were photographed. Three pictures were combined to create the figure on the banknote.
The origin and whereabouts of the the seal depicted on the banknote's reverse remain one of the greatest mysteries of Holy Land archaeology since 1903, when it was discovered at Megiddo by Gottlieb Schumacher, a German railway engineer (the Dera'a to Haifa branch line of the Hejaz railway was built under his management) cum archaeologist, born in a Templar community in Haifa. The seal shows in great detail the King of Beasts, and is inscribed with the words "Shema Servant of Jeroboam". As two kings with the same name, Jeroboam I and Jeroboam II, ruled the northern Kingdom of Israel, it is believed that Shema was a high official of King Jeroboam II (8th Century BC). Shortly after its discovery, Schumacher presented the seal as a gift to the Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid II. Since then the "Seal of Shema" has mysteriously vanished, never to be seen again. A plaster copy was made prior to its handover to the sultan, preserving this beautiful piece of Biblical history for posterity.
10
Lirot
Obverse:  scientist
Reverse:  Dead Sea Scrolls, Israel Museum
Dominant color:  purple
Dimensions:  150 x 82 mm
Signatures:  David Horowitz, Governor Bank of Israel; Yitzhak Nebenzahl, Chairman Advisory Council
Printers (unverified):  Thomas de la Rue, London
The obverse of the 10 Lirot (Bank of Israel series II) banknote shows a figure of a scientist at work in a well-equipped laboratory. In real life, one single gentleman posed for the photograph that formed the basis for the figure on the banknote, not in a lab, but against a dark sheet or blanket in the background.
The banknote's reverse shows a segment of one of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in eleven caves at Qumran on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea between 1947 and 1979, and now housed in the Shrine of the Book on the campus of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The Dead Sea Scrolls are handwritten and date from a period between the 3rd century BC and 68 AD. The fragment depicted here is a segment from the Book of Isaiah, dating back to the 1st century BC. Also pictured are two jars in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were typically stored and preserved during two millennia.
Combine
shipping